The Wager
by RememberFics
Summary: WDZ - "I will wager five thousand pesos that I can do what you cannot; that is to unmask Zorro and learn his identity. Will you meet my challenge?" - A ruthless business woman might be more of an opponent than Diego can handle. Will Zorro be able to keep from being unmasked?
1. Chapter One

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

 **This Story is a repost of a fic written by Karla Gregory! It was posted online around the year 2000 and from all the stories done by this author, this adventure might have a feel closest to the canon of the lot. I wish there had actually been an episode like this cause I could have seen it happening. :D For more information on this author and other stories by them check the profile page.**

 **Note from the original author:**

 _This story came to me as I wondered whether or not I could take two or three episodes of Zorro and weave a separate story in and around what we were presented with on the screen. I spent many happy hours viewing the Zorro episodes looking for a likely setting for my story. The three episodes that I finally chose were "Agent of the Eagle", "Zorro Springs a Trap", and "The Unmasking of Zorro". In these episodes, we are introduced to Capitán Don Juan Ortega and Rosarita Cortez. The following story is the result of my challenge to myself. If you have these three episodes on tape, you might find it fun to view them before reading the story. As I wrote, I tried to pick out a few scenes where some of my characters might be seen as people in the background, such as in the tavern or around the corral where Tornado was to be auctioned. See if you can find them. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it._

 _April 4, 2000_

 **This story takes place during episodes 20, 21 and 22 in season 1 of the series.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 _Mexico City_

"I still say this Zorro is a common bandido," declared Don Luís Santana. Several others who were gathered around the lavish dinner table agreed with the younger man.

"And I maintain that El Zorro is not a common bandido, he is something much more," said Don Perón Vasquez. "It would take someone more cunning than a common bandido to elude the soldiers of the entire garrison of Los Angeles. Am I not right?" The portly gentleman looked around for support and was not disappointed as he heard agreement with his statement. He leaned back with a self satisfied look and puffed on his cigar.

Don Luís, an athletic man of about thirty years, fingered his mustache of which he was quite proud. "Any man who will only go about at night wearing a mask because he dare not show his face is nothing but a common criminal. The fact that a bunch of stupid soldiers cannot catch him means nothing," he said dismissively. Immediately, Don Perón and his supporters began to dispute this statement.

Señora Helena Del Fuego watched all of this with amusement. Ever since news of El Zorro had reached Mexico City, the bandido had provided grist for the mill in all of the social gatherings since then. At these dinners, which she hosted weekly, any news reaching the city was seized upon and discussed from every angle. Opinions were formed based on the tiniest tidbits and the holders defended their positions to the end. It made for lively entertainment.

So far, she had managed to sit back and study her guests and mark their positions without giving away her own. She decided to add a comment or two to heat things up a bit more. "Señores," she said. All eyes turned to her. "If a bandido's greatness is measured by the price he carries on his head, then Zorro must be the greatest California; indeed Mexico, has ever seen. I hear that the reward for his capture is now two thousand pesos." She was satisfied to hear several small gasps from around the table. She had gotten this news from a business associate who had just returned from Monterey.

"Surely this would seem to show that Zorro is not a 'common' bandido," she concluded with a charming smile directed at Don Luís.

He did not disappoint her. "Not at all, Señora! It merely means that there is no one in Los Angeles who is competent enough to catch Zorro and claim the previous rewards."

"It is said that he is the finest swordsman in all California and that he can walk through walls among other things," said Señora Helena. "Would this not make him difficult to capture by ordinary men? Say, by someone like yourself, Don Luís?" For all that she was twenty years his senior, she really did enjoy pricking the younger man's ego. She could see his annoyance grow as he felt that his ability with a sword was being compared to that of a lowly bandido and he did not miss being called ordinary, no matter how sweetly it had been done.

She turned the heat up a little more. "I agree with Don Perón that this bandido is cunning. And I say that it would take someone equally as cunning to bring the fox to ground and to discover his identity. Someone perhaps such as . . . ."

She was interrupted by Don Luís who said with a charming smile that belied his true feelings, "Someone such as yourself, Señora Del Fuego? We all," he gestured at the guests gathered at the table, "concede that you are a most intelligent woman, well able to achieve any goal you have set for yourself. Many of my colleagues here have had cause to regret trying to get the best of you in business matters." Several embarrassed looks were exchanged around the table. "Are you saying that you, Señora Del Fuego, would be the one who finally discovers Zorro's identity and claims the reward? I can think of no one more cunning than yourself." Don Luís executed a bow from his seat at the table.

Señora Helena suddenly found herself in a position she did not like. She was now on the defensive. If she did not take up the challenge, she would lose face in front of these men, thus weakening the position of power that she had built up over many years. It was this position that allowed her, as a woman, to manage the business that her late husband had left and to prosper by it. These weekly dinners that she hosted were as much to gather information on her colleagues and their affairs as they were to provide entertainment. She could sift through mountains of innocuous conversational details to find the nuggets that she could use to further her own interests. Only her intelligence and her ability to remain successful allowed them to accept her as their leader in these social gatherings. She did not intend to give that up.

So, even though she had not previously had any intention whatsoever of being the one to unmask Zorro she answered, "Why yes, Don Luís. I believe that I can unmask this Zorro and collect the reward." She smiled graciously. "And what of you? Do you think that you can defeat Zorro with the sword and collect the reward? The men of Los Angeles might appreciate someone who can show them how it is done. And who better than you to do so? There is none better in Mexico City with a sword." She was back on the offense now. She would make him prove himself.

"I know," she said. "Let us wager something to make it more interesting. I will wager five thousand pesos that I can do what you cannot; that is to unmask Zorro and learn his identity. Will you meet my challenge?"

Don Luís leaned forward and said, "Of course, Señora Del Fuego. I would be delighted to accept your wager." He leaned back and stroked his mustache with an air of bravado. "I will wager that piece of land that you have been wanting me to sell against your five thousand pesos that I will defeat this bandido and show him to be what he is; a common thief," he said with his eyes flashing.

"It is settled then," said Señora Helena. "Don Luís, I think I will need at least three weeks to set my affairs in order, but you are free to leave whenever you will. I rather believe that Zorro will still be there for me to unmask when I arrive in Los Angeles." She smiled just to see what effect it would have on Don Luís. She was not disappointed.

Don Perón, stood then and said "I propose we raise our glasses and toast these two brave souls. And may the best . . . er, um . . . señor or señora win." Glasses clinked all along the table. Señora Helena stood also, which signaled an end to the dinner. By twos and threes, the guests left for the evening. Don Luís and a couple of his friends remained behind. He was eager to win this wager against the Señora because she had caused him to lose face in front of the assembled guests and because she had cost him a lot of business when she had convinced the military here in Mexico to buy supplies from her company instead of his. If he could win this wager, he would regain some of the power he had lost to her. He also wanted very much to be able to remove the smile from her face.

He walked over to where she was saying goodnight to the last of the guests and sketched a bow in front of her. "I will take my leave of you, Señora, and be on my way to Los Angeles in the morning. I believe that I can save you the trip to the pueblo, as I plan to be back before your departure date with proof that I have been successful. What would satisfy you in that regard?"

"I have not given it much thought, Don Luís," she said. "But I think that if you bring me Zorro's mask and his sword, that would be proof enough. You won't mind if I continue with my own plans for the trip will you? Just in case Zorro, the fox, lives up to his name? And, will you accept the same tokens as proof of my success when I return?"

"As you wish, Señora Del Fuego," Don Luís said. "I will deposit the deed to the property with Don Perón before I go and I trust that you will deposit the five thousand pesos with him as well?" He knew he bordered on the edge of insulting her with his request, but he made it nevertheless. The señora bowed slightly to accede to his request, but he could tell she was quite irritated about it, though the smile never left her face. He smiled in return. "Then I will be going. Thank you for a most interesting evening, Señora Del Fuego." He and his friends left the room leaving the señora alone. She shook her head at herself. What had she gotten into? She felt that she was equal to the challenge, for what was Zorro but a man? But she surely hadn't planned on a trip to a remote outpost like Los Angeles.

As she walked out into the great hall from the dining room, she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror there. For a woman who had only recently reached the age of fifty years, she thought she was holding up fairly well. There was no grey in her hair as yet and her face was only now beginning to show any lines in it. She had kept a trim figure by being fairly active and riding her horse daily. She remembered fondly how she and her late husband used to go for long, early morning rides before breakfast. She looked to the other side of the hallway where two large portraits were hanging. One was of Señor Del Fuego, her husband. He had disliked this portrait, but she thought it charming. It captured the half smile that had always seemed to be on his face.

The other portrait was of a young man. As always, her heart ached in her breast whenever she looked at it. Alberto had only been seventeen when this portrait had been painted. In the painting, he was mounted on his favorite horse, Sindbad. Her son had died after Sindbad had stumbled and thrown him during a friendly race with some of his companions. He had never regained consciousness; slipping quietly into death. Sindbad had broken his leg and was put down. This portrait had been painted only two months before the fatal event. For the first year after his death, Señora Helena kept the painting in her room and mourned. Finally, her husband took it and placed it here in the great hall next to his own portrait. When he had tried everything else he could think of to console her, he began holding weekly dinners for their friends and colleagues which he made his wife attend. At first, she did not respond, but then it began to work. Slowly she began to take interest in life again. She learned how to cope with the loss.

Five years after Alberto died, her husband was stricken with a wasting illness which the doctors could not cure. Knowing that he was going to die, Esteban taught her everything he knew about the business he had built up. He did it not only so that she would be assured of an income, but to give her something to keep her mind busy so she would not withdraw as she had done at the death of her son. When Esteban died, she took hold of herself and the business and found that she was even better at managing it than he had been. She continued the weekly dinners as her husband had, and through the years they evolved into what they were today. Most of the other women had long ago stopped coming; they were bored by the endless business discussions and political arguments that were often the main topics. This did not bother Señora Helena. She became so engrossed in keeping ahead of the competition, be it in business or in social situations, that her heart gradually held no room for softness. She had hard decisions to make on a daily basis, and softness had no place in her life. She had gradually molded herself into what she was today. The only time she permitted herself to feel was when she stood here in front of these two portraits, remembering. Finally, she walked on toward the wing of her house containing her bedroom. She had never traveled far from Mexico City before, so this would be quite a change for her. She would keep her eyes open for any new business opportunities as she traveled. The reward for capturing the bandido Zorro would not be the only thing of value she would bring back from Los Angeles or she did not know Señora Helena Del Fuego.


	2. Chapter Two

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 _San Pedro, Alta California_

Señora Helena disembarked from the ship with a feeling of relief. She had been pleased with herself for not succumbing to anything as unladylike as seasickness, but she was glad to be off of the ship nevertheless. Traveling by ship was faster than traveling by coach and that was the only reason she had decided to leave the comfort of terra firma and sail the ocean. She had been able to arrange things so that she was a week earlier in arriving in San Pedro than she had told Don Luís that she would be.

San Pedro was a dusty little sea town, looking just as she had expected. Her ship was the only one at the dock, and only a few fishing boats were drawn up on the beach. The people were going about their business and no one paid much attention to her as she walked over to a small shop that had a canopy that would keep her out of the sun. She had brought two personal servants with her and Rudolfo, who would act as coachman, butler, and bodyguard. He was over six feet tall and quite strong even though he had been with her for many years. She did not think anyone would bother her with him around. Rudolfo was seeing to the off loading of her baggage into the carriage he had engaged. Contessa and Bonita were standing close by, offering their advice on how their lady's things should be arranged. Rudolfo took it all with a longsuffering look on his face.

From around the corner of the street, an open carriage pulled up at the dock. She immediately recognized Don Luís. He was slumped against the carriage seat with his head back and eyes closed.

Two other men were with him. Señora Helena walked over to the side of the carriage for a better look. She was able to observe that Don Luís had his right arm in a sling and that he looked as though he was in a lot of pain. His mustache was definitely drooping. One of the two men saw her and immediately bowed and said, "Señora Del Fuego. What a pleasant surprise." He was Carlos Montez, a friend of Don Luís. At these words, Don Luís opened his eyes and looked at the señora. He closed them again as if she was the last thing in the world he had wanted to see. She remained by the carriage, just looking at the younger man. Finally, he roused himself to speak to her.

"Señora Del Fuego. I had not expected to find you here so soon. I was just about to embark on this ship to return to Mexico City," he said in a tight voice.

"I am pleased that I was able to see you before you left, Don Luís," she said. "I notice that you have met with some . . . mishap. May I inquire as to the cause of your injury?" She was fairly certain she knew the answer, but waited patiently for Don Luís to answer. She carefully schooled her face to show friendly concern.

Don Luís started to reply, but then shrugged and waved his good arm in disgust. He turned his face away. Montez answered for him. "It was Zorro, Señora. Don Luís cornered him in the pueblo and challenged him to fight. At first, Zorro did not want to, but Don Luís insulted him which only made the bandit laugh. Then Don Luís made some remarks about Zorro's mother and I could tell that his honor would not let him laugh that off. The fight was very short, Señora. Don Luís was the best swordsman I had ever seen until I saw Zorro. He took no time at all to pierce Don Luís' shoulder and disarm him. He warned him to leave Los Angeles and never to return, and he made him apologize for the insults. We left the next morning and came here to San Pedro to wait for the ship."

"So the land belongs to you now, Señora Del Fuego," said Don Luís finally meeting her eyes. "You can pick up the deed when you return to Mexico City. I would recommend that you return on the ship with me. There is nothing that you can do to capture that bandido. You can't use a sword and you can't charm him into removing his mask, so you might as well save yourself the trip." He winced as his arm pained him.

"Well now, my dear Luís, I never expected to use a sword in the first place, and as far as using my charm on him, we will see. I still plan to hold up my end of the wager and learn Zorro's identity. If I do not, then you will gain five thousand pesos, so I would think that you would want me to at least try would you not?" She watched for his reaction.

He shook his head and said, "As you wish, Señora. You may stay or go, it does not matter to me. All I know is that I am getting on that ship and going home. I never want to see this miserable part of the world again." He gestured to his companions and said, " Carlos, help me down." Carlos and the other man jumped to help Don Luís get out of the carriage and they walked slowly toward the ship without a backward glance.

Señora Helena laughed to herself. The younger man had learned a lesson the hard way. It was one thing to boast, it was another thing to actually carry it out. Perhaps he would be more careful in the future. Then she sobered. She was herself here to carry out a boast of sorts, no matter that it had been thrust upon her. She had declared that she could unmask Zorro. Now it was up to her to accomplish that. She turned to see if Rudolfo was finished with the loading of the baggage and was pleased to see that he was. He came to escort her to the carriage.

"Don Luís seemed to be in some discomfort, Señora," he said as he helped her into the carriage. Was he hurt badly?" The two women already in the carriage listened intently for the answer.

"No, Rudolfo," she replied. "I believe his wound will heal without any complications, but his pride was severely injured. I do not know how well that will heal. Now let us get to Los Angeles without further delay. Already the morning is far spent." Rudolfo bowed and climbed into the driver's seat and set the horses in motion. They went along at a good pace and she thought that they should reach Los Angeles in the early afternoon. She sat back and looked out at the countryside. This was the land that Zorro inhabited. It had a wild beauty that she appreciated. It was spring, and the colorful wild flowers were rampant and the hills were green with new grass. She could see that this was good country for a bandido to hide in because of all the rocks, hills, and trees. Eluding pursuers would be much easier here than in the countryside around Mexico City.

Señora Helena knew that she had to use every bit of information that she could get in order to accomplish her task. So she studied the land and every hacienda or cottage that she passed, including an old, abandoned winery; committing them to memory. She had her story all worked out that she would use to disguise her real intent and had schooled her servants to follow along. They were loyal to her and she had no concerns that they would give her away. Bonita was young enough to see it all as a great adventure and Contessa was old enough to be cautious. Rudolfo was able to take it all in stride. He had worked for Señora Helena long enough to be aware of her abilities, so he did what he was told and let her take care of everything else.

Finally, they topped a hill and they were able to see Los Angeles in the distance. It was another dusty pueblo, somewhat larger than San Pedro, but no more remarkable. She could just make out the church bell tower from this distance. It would take them a little while longer before they reached the town proper and she would be able to take a room at whatever passed for an inn and refresh herself. She was looking forward to it.


	3. Chapter Three

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Three**

 _Los Angeles, Alta California_

Señor Carlos Galindo, the Magistrado for Los Angeles, was feeling fine today. He had finally figured out a way to acquire the money that the Eagle was demanding. The idea came from the younger de la Vega. The Magistrado had attended a party given for Rosarita Cortez by her uncle. At that party, he had made several comments about having to deal with all classes of people in his job, but that he preferred to keep his social life more restricted. This led de la Vega to point out Franco Barbarosa, a ranchero, who had gone from nothing to selling almost as many hides as had the elder de la Vega this last year. Diego had pointed out that Barbarosa had started out with just a mud hut on the king's land.

This had given the Magistrado a way to extract money from Barbarosa and others like him who were using the king's land to get rich. He only had to tell them that the laws had changed and that they owed the king part of what they had earned in order to repay the debt they owed. If they wanted to stay out of jail they would pay. He was expecting Capitán Ortega's men to bring in Barbarosa any moment now. Ortega had arrived only yesterday to take up his "post" as new commandanté of Los Angeles. Never mind that he was not the real Ortega, but a man of the Eagle's. He was here to help the Magistrado carry out the Eagle's orders to cause unrest among the people and to collect money for the Eagle's coffers.

Barbarosa was brought in and told that he must pay five thousand pesos for living on the king's land. He refused. The Magistrado was disappointed, but decided he could use this to his advantage. He would make an example of Barbarosa and sentence him to six months of hard labor. This should make the other rancheros much more willing to pay when their turn came. He dismissed the soldiers with orders to tell Capitán Ortega to have Barbarosa tied to the pole of the gristmill and to work him until he gave them new orders.

The soldiers took Barbarosa down the stairs and pushed him across the plaza, watched by everyone. At about the same time, Señora Helena's carriage pulled into the plaza and came to a stop in front of the inn. She was watching with interest to see who it was that the soldiers were guarding in case it might have been Zorro, but she could tell that the man that they were escorting was not the bandido. Not unless he was much older than she had been led to believe. She looked around at the rest of the plaza, taking in the location and condition of the cuartel, the church and the few other buildings. She was not impressed.

Rudolfo had quickly jumped from the carriage and was ready to help the señora down. She descended and stopped to brush off her dress and pat things back into place. As soon as her serving ladies were beside her, she turned and went into the inn. She would see about rooms for the night, but she did not intend to spend much time here. She would find a house to rent where she would be more comfortable.

The innkeeper was instantly in attendance. "May I be of service, Señora . . ." he paused waiting for a name.

"I am Señora Helena Del Fuego. These are my servants, Contessa and Bonita. My other servant, Rudolfo is outside seeing to my baggage. I will require rooms for myself and my servants for the night."

"Certainly, Señora Del Fuego, certainly," he said bowing to her. " I will have rooms prepared for you immediately. Would you like some refreshments while you wait? We do have some very good wines here."

"Very well," she said. "We have come a long way this morning. Bring four glasses. We will all have some of your wine." While she believed everyone should remain in their proper places depending on their class, she was not a harsh mistress, and she knew how much she would appreciate a glass of wine about now. Her servants certainly would also. She and her ladies seated themselves at a table just as Rudolfo came in. Señora Helena beckoned him to come over. The innkeeper was just serving the wine. They all enjoyed a glass.

"This is fine wine, innkeeper," said the señora. "I had no idea that such quality existed outside of Mexico City."

"Si, Señora Del Fuego. This wine was produced right here in the area by Don Alejandro de la Vega. His hacienda is nearby," he said with pride. "He owns the largest rancho in this part of California."

"Then I would like to meet Señor de la Vega in person to compliment him on his wine making abilities. But now, I would like to go to my room to freshen up. Is it ready?"

The innkeeper looked up to see the maid coming out of the room. At her nod, he said, "Si, your rooms are ready now. Maria will show you the way. Will you require help with your baggage?"

Rudolfo shook his head no, and the innkeeper was disappointed. If he had helped with the luggage, who knows, the señora might have given him a tip. He shrugged his shoulders in resignation.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Meanwhile, the guards took Barbarosa to the gristmill on the other side of the plaza. They tied him to the pole of the gristmill and made sure that the gate to the mill was left open so that everyone could see. The more people saw, the more frightened they would be. This suited the soldiers very well and they made the most of it as they whipped the ranchero to keep him moving. They did not need to whip him, they just wanted to make as much commotion as possible.

Rosarita Cortez, the niece of Don Domingo Cortez, happened to be in the pueblo and saw what was happening. She was horrified. She stood there petrified for many minutes not knowing what to do. Finally she came to herself and the only thing she could think to do was run for Diego. He had always been the one she could run to for help when they were children, and she felt that he would be the one she could turn to now. She urged her servant to push the carriage horses to greater speed as they started down the road towards the de la Vega hacienda.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Señora Helena rested for a while in her room at the Inn and feeling refreshed, decided to take a walk around the plaza to look the pueblo over in much greater detail. She left Bonita and Contessa to arrange her things at the Inn and had Rudolfo accompany her. She immediately noticed the crowd on the other side of the plaza and walked over there to observe from a discreet distance. She saw what the crowd was watching, a man was tied to the grist mill pole like a beast and was being made to push it around. He was the man she had seen when she had arrived earlier. She wondered what he had done to deserve such a punishment. He was guarded by several soldiers who kept cracking a whip whenever it seemed he might slow down in the least.

Since it was a military matter, it did not concern her overmuch, so she put it out of her mind for the moment in order to look over the rest of the pueblo. She had asked the innkeeper if there were any houses in Los Angeles that might be rented and was told that there was one at the corner of the pueblo between the cuartel and the church. As she approached it, she thought it would do nicely for what she had in mind. There was a window on the second floor that would give her a commanding view of most of the plaza. If this house was livable at all, she would take it based on that alone.

She knocked on the door and was greeted by the owner whose name was Pinzana. They exchanged pleasantries. Just as she was about to go in, she looked back at the plaza in time to see a carriage pull up in front of the grist mill driven by a young don with a pretty señorita beside him. There were two other people in the back of the carriage that she could not see clearly. She could tell that they were upset by the scene before them and it was not long before the carriage was moving swiftly across the plaza towards the Magistrado's office. The innkeeper had pointed his office out when he was showing her the way to the house that she might wish to rent. The carriage was far enough away that she could not be sure of any of the features on the occupant's faces, so she asked Pinzana who they were. She was told that it was Don Diego de la Vega, Señorita Rosarita Cortez, and their servants. She filed the names away for future reference and turned to the business at hand.

The house was adequate. That was the word for it. It lacked any elegance whatsoever. But she was not here to be comfortable. She was here for one thing, to discover Zorro's identity. As soon as she accomplished that, she would be on her way back to Mexico City where she belonged. The amount that Pinzana was asking for rent was too high, even for a furnished house, and Señora Helena soon made it clear that she would not pay such an amount. She named a price she felt was more reasonable, and by the time she was through applying her charm, Pinzana was happy to accept whatever she offered. The house needed a thorough cleaning, so she would remain at the Inn for a night or two to give her servants time to do the job. She sent Rudolfo to the Inn to get the women to come and start cleaning immediately.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

While this transaction was occurring, Diego and Rosarita were in the Magistrado's office pleading their case for Barbarosa. It soon became quite clear to Diego that nothing they could say would change the Magistrado's mind. At first, he listened to what they had to say, then he was very condescending as he poked fun at a poet for trying to speak of the law. Finally, he was menacing as he tired of their persistence and warned Diego not to interfere with the administration of justice in the pueblo. Diego's eyes smoldered at the word "justice" but he had to hold his peace. He told Rosarita that there was nothing more they could do. She turned and walked out of the office, but not before she gave Diego a very unhappy look.

Once outside, Rosarita let him have it. "Is that the best you can do?" she asked in absolute disgust.

Diego tried to deflect her by saying, "Perhaps if I wrote a letter to the governor he might . . . ." He was unable to finish.

"Write a letter!" she exclaimed. "If I were a man I would do something about this," she declared. And it wouldn't be . . . writing a letter!" She stalked off.

Diego tried to smooth things over as best as he could given the limitations he had to work under. "Rosarita," he said as he walked after her. "I know how you must feel and . . . ."

He was brought up short when Rosarita rounded on him and in an angry, demanding voice asked, "What happened to you Diego? When you were a boy you wouldn't have stood by idly while a man was tortured." Then worst of all she said, dripping disgust, "You are not half the man you were when you were only ten years old." She turned away from him and went down the stairs without a backward glance. Diego was left standing on the balcony alone. He was cut to the quick by Rosarita's accusations and it was all he could do not to respond. Gripping the rail tightly, he got his own emotions under control before he followed her down the stairs. He could not fault her for her outburst, for he felt the same way about Barbarosa's unjust punishment. Diego, the poet, could do no more than he had; it was up to Zorro to make up for any lack. He drove Rosarita home.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Señora Helena began strolling back towards the Inn after taking her leave of Pinzana and making sure that her servants knew what to do. She paused by the well and watched the soldiers coming and going out of the cuartel. One of them was extremely remarkable because of his size. Not his height, but his width. She did not believe she had seen any other soldier in the king's army that could match this fellow in girth. He saw her at about the same time and came to where she was.

"I am Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia," he announced, saluting. "Acting commandanté of the pueblo of Los Angeles." He paused. "Or at least I was, until yesterday. Now I am just Sergeant Garcia." He looked a little forlorn. "May I ask your name, Señora? And just what brings you to Los Angeles? It is my duty to ask it of everyone who comes to the pueblo." As he was speaking, another soldier walked up. She could see that this man was the real commandanté of the pueblo by the uniform that he wore. Sergeant Garcia snapped to attention and introduced him. "May I present Capitán Don Juan Ortega, new commandanté of the pueblo de Los Angeles."

"At your service," Ortega said. "Welcome to Los Angeles." Here he took her hand and kissed it as a gentleman would. "And now may I have the honor to know your name?"

Señora Helena had her story prepared. "My name is Señora Helena Del Fuego. I and my servants have just come from Mexico City." She paused and with a sad look on her face, looked down towards the ground for effect. "I am recently widowed." Here she dabbed at her eyes convincingly. "Mexico City holds too many memories for me and I have decided to find a new place to live. I plan to spend a few days here to see if I like Los Angeles. If I do, I plan to purchase a house. If I do not, I will journey further up the coast, possibly to Monterey to seek a home there. My husband left me enough money to live comfortably, if I am careful." She dabbed her eyes again.

Ortega took her hand again and patted it in sympathy. "I am sorry for your loss, Señora. I do hope you find our pueblo to your liking. Your beauty will brighten our days should you decide to stay."

It was all Señora Helena could do not to roll her eyes in response to the Capitán's remarks. He was about as oily as they came. Still, she made herself smile as she replied, "Why thank you Capitán, but it remains to be seen whether I will be staying. What is this I hear about a bandido who calls himself Zorro? I saw a poster in the inn offering a sizeable reward for him. Is he dangerous? I do so want to find a place where I will be safe."

Sergeant Garcia was quick to respond, "Oh no, Señora. Zorro will not harm a woman. You have nothing to fear from him."

Ortega glared at Garcia, but smiled as he turned to Señora Helena. "I myself only arrived yesterday, Señora, but I plan to make the capture of Zorro a priority. I will have law and order as long as I am commandanté. You will have nothing to worry about."

"I am pleased to hear that, Commandanté," she replied. "I did rather have a feeling about this place. That I would like it, that is."


	4. Chapter Four

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Four**

Later that evening, Señora Helena and her servants had supper at the Inn. She had taken a table where she could see everyone who came and went. After the meal, she sent her two ladies to get everything ready for her evening toilette. She and Rudolfo remained. From where she sat, she could hear most of the conversations. Nothing piqued her interest until Sergeant Garcia came in. The first thing the innkeeper said to him was, "No more credit Sergeant."

She watched as he walked over to a table and tried to get himself invited to share a glass of wine. He was turned away. Undaunted, he turned and saw two soldiers who were enjoying a bottle of wine together. Smoothly, he invited himself to their wine. They were not happy about it, but what could they do? She heard Garcia say that next time, he would buy the wine. What he said next had her undivided attention.

"I expect to become wealthy quite soon."

"How?" said one of the soldiers.

"Do you see that notice up there?" he indicated the Zorro poster on the wall. "Tonight I will capture Zorro and claim the reward." He then went on to explain his plan to capture Zorro when he came to rescue Franco Barbarosa. The other two soldiers were skeptical that Zorro would take such a chance on being trapped, but Sergeant Garcia was very certain that he would come for he said, "Whenever there is any offense against the people, Zorro rides. Usually at night, when others are asleep." The two soldiers exchanged a look and suddenly became much more friendly with the sergeant. They offered him some more wine. What happened next puzzled her. The two soldiers did something with their wine glasses and mentioned something about the ocean which apparently made the sergeant sick. They walked him out of the Inn through the back door followed by the innkeeper. Quickly, she sent Rudolfo to follow after them.

He came back and said that the two soldiers had locked the sergeant in the shed out back and had paid the innkeeper to keep quiet about it. Then they had gone toward the grist mill. Señora Helena knew what she must do. She sent Rudolfo upstairs to tell her ladies not to wait up for her and then he was to follow her to the grist mill. She left the inn and in the darkness walked toward the mill. She kept to the shadows along the edge of the plaza. She was just in time to see a soldier she did not know leave the grist mill enclosure, but to her disappointment the gate was closed behind him. She could see nothing. But she could hear the creaking of the mechanism as Barbarosa pushed the pole and heard the whip as it cracked. Poor man, she thought. He has been pushing that pole for hours now. It did seem excessive.

Then she heard someone cry, "Zorro, look out!" and there were sounds of a scuffle going on and what sounded like a brief clash of swords. Her heart beat rapidly. Her quarry was so close and she could not even see him! She clinched her fists in frustration. Then a pistol shot went off. She held her breath. From out of nowhere she saw the commandanté run toward the grist mill. Just as he got there, the gate was opened and she heard someone with a commanding voice telling the prisoner to get away. Barbarosa ran out just as the commandanté was trying to enter. Ortega cried, "Zorro!" and drew his sword as he went in. Señora Helena could not stay away. She ran to the open gate and peered in, keeping out of sight.

There before her was Zorro. He was having no difficulty keeping Ortega at bay. Despite herself, she was captivated. Zorro was magnificent in his black costume and flowing cape. Soon he had pressed the Capitán so closely that he was crying out for Sergeant Garcia and the lancers, and then he found himself on the ground, disarmed, with Zorro's sword at his throat. What Zorro said next let her know she was right when she had said that Zorro was no common bandido.

Holding Ortega at bay on the ground he said with that voice, "Let me never again hear of you putting a man to do a mule's work. Or it will be the last order you ever give." He then did something with the tip of his sword that she could not see. Sheathing his sword, Zorro climbed easily up the poles of the grist mill and leaped onto the roof of the outbuilding. He turned and bowed to Ortega and wished him a cheerful goodnight before he disappeared into the night. She could hear hoofbeats as he rode off. She just had time to back up out of sight behind the gate as Sergeant Garcia and some soldiers ran into the mill enclosure. Rudolfo was there to catch her as she tripped a bit, leaving her a little off balance.

She wanted to stay and see what else would happen, but she felt like the best thing to do would be to return to the inn in case the commandanté was in a bad humor. Señora Helena could well imagine that he would be. Zorro had released the prisoner and had defeated him in a matter of moments. He would not be happy if he found out that there was a witness to his humiliation. She smiled to herself as they walked back across the plaza. She had been here less than one day and already she had seen Zorro. It was a most satisfactory way to begin her quest.

She went back to the inn and up to her room. As she prepared for bed, her thoughts were of Zorro. There were several things that she knew about him already. One, he was extremely bold. He had come alone to the pueblo, to what he knew could be a trap, and still he had freed the prisoner. Two, he was an excellent swordsman. She had thought perhaps that Zorro had gotten lucky against Don Luís, taking advantage of his cocksureness, but Ortega was a soldier and trained in the ways of the sword, and Zorro had beaten him handily. Three, Zorro was audacious enough to flaunt his freedom in front of the man he had just defeated with that cheery goodby of his. This was either a sign of a very foolish man, or a sign of a man who was very confident of his abilities. She rather thought it was the latter.

She was puzzled by one thing, however. What was Zorro's motive for freeing the prisoner? If he was just a bandit why would he risk his life in such a manner? Would he show up later at the prisoner's house and demand money for freeing him? She did not know what to think. She remembered what Sergeant Garcia had said about Zorro always showing up whenever there was an offense against the people. An altruistic bandido? She shook her head, amused at herself for even thinking of such a thing. No, there was something for Zorro to gain from all of this, either money or power of some sort, or she did not know men like she thought she did. All she had to do was find out what this gain was and that would lead her to the man behind the mask. She needed information and she would start with Sergeant Garcia in the morning.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

After breakfast, Señora Helena and her servants went over to the house she was renting to continue cleaning. She directed the servants as to how she wanted things done and left them to it. Her main goal for the day was to quietly question everyone she could concerning Zorro. Information was her weapon of choice to wield against Zorro and she meant to arm herself well. Seeing that the cleaning was well underway, she walked back to the inn. Sergeant Garcia was already there with one of his soldiers, a corporal, if she was not mistaken. The corporal looked forlorn as he handed a coin to the barmaid to pay for the two glasses of wine at the table. Sergeant Garcia was enjoying the beverage. "What a mooch," thought the señora.

But no matter. She still wanted to find out what he knew about Zorro, so she walked over to their table. Both men stood instantly out of respect for her. "May I join you, Sergeant?" she asked. She was welcomed warmly. The barmaid, Maria, came to ask if she would like anything, but she told her no. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sergeant Garcia looking relieved. If she had ordered anything, he would have felt obligated to pay for it and she knew he did not have any money. She had spared him the embarrassment. On the wall next to their table was the poster showing the reward for El Zorro.

"Sergeant, I heard some disturbing news this morning," she said. "It is said that the bandido, Zorro, was in the pueblo last night and created some disturbance. Is it true? I positively do not feel safe with him on the loose." She gave him her best look of concern and dismay.

"Yes, it is true, Señora Del Fuego. Zorro was here last night. I am afraid he got away again, though," said the sergeant.

"But why was he here? What did he want? And why was he not captured?" She peppered the sergeant with questions. She did this deliberately. She wanted him to think of her as a rather simple person; one to whom he would have to explain everything. This way perhaps she would gain more information than otherwise. This method seemed to work with the sergeant.

"Zorro came to rescue Franco Barbarosa, Señora," he said. At her blank look, he went on, "Franco Barbarosa was sentenced by the Magistrado to work in the grist mill for not paying a fine for trespassing on the king's land." Here he looked both ways before speaking again. "I should not say this, but I am glad Zorro helped Señor Barbarosa to escape."

"Why, Sergeant? He was being punished for breaking the law was he not?"

"Señor Barbarosa was only doing what he and the other rancheros had been doing for years. They had been told that they could work the land and build homes there and at some point the land would become theirs. But the Magistrado has said that the law has been changed and that the rancheros owe the king money. Maybe they do owe the king money, but the punishment was too much. If the Magistrado had only given him more time, I am sure he would have paid. Franco Barbarosa is an honest man."

"But why would the outlaw take an interest in freeing Barbarosa? What is Barbarosa to him?" she asked.

"Oh, he is just another man, Señora. But that does not matter to Zorro. Anytime he hears of someone who has been wronged, he comes."

"And that is the only reason?"

"Who can say what another man thinks, Señora. All I know is that Zorro has never harmed one of the people. He protects them."

"Then he expects the people to pay him for doing this? I cannot believe a bandit would risk his life for nothing."

"I do not think he would accept money for what he does, Señora. He has never stolen so much as a peso from the people. Why, just the other day he helped us soldiers by getting our payroll money back from a crooked government official, and incidentally kept me from the firing squad. No, I do not think money means much to him."

"That is very interesting, Sergeant. A bandido who does not act like one. He almost reminds me of the legendary Robin Hood," Señora Helena said almost to herself.

"Who?" said the sergeant looking puzzled.

"You know, Robin Hood. From the English legends. He robbed from the rich to give to the poor."

Sergeant Garcia pretended to know all about it, even though he did not have a clue. "Oh yes. Robin Hood." He paused, deep in thought. " I do not think Zorro would rob from anyone who did not deserve it," he said with conviction.

Señora Helena did not know what to make of that last statement, so she changed the line of questions. "Does anyone know who the man is behind the mask? You seem to know him pretty well, Sergeant."

"If I did know who Zorro is, I would have captured him long ago, Señora. You see that reward posted on the wall there? I would have collected it and retired from being a soldier. Maybe I would have bought a tavern somewhere . . ."

The corporal spoke up for the first time, "And he would have hired me to serve the drinks so I could stop being a soldier too." He looked dreamily out into space.

"So no one knows who he is? Has anyone ever tried to find out?" Señora Del Fuego continued.

"Si, our former commandanté, Capitán Monastario, tried many times, but he never found out."

"Did he have any suspicions? Any one that he thought might have been Zorro?"

"Well, he did accuse Don Diego once. But it was not him."

"How do you know?"

"He had Don Diego here in the tavern as a prisoner, but Zorro came to the pueblo at the same time. Since Don Diego was inside the tavern, he could not be outside the tavern as Zorro and so Don Diego inside could not be Zorro outside," said the sergeant wagging his finger to make each point.

Señora Helena's head spun after that statement, but she got the meaning. Well, that eliminated one person from consideration. She would not have to worry about Don Diego being Zorro. "Who else could be Zorro, Sergeant?" she asked. She did not think he knew, but maybe he would tell her information she could use in her own search.

Garcia shook his head. "I do not know, Señora. He is not called the Fox for nothing. He has escaped all the traps we have tried to set for him and no horse is as fast as Zorro's horse, so no one can catch him. He knows the hills around here like the back of his hand and so no one can track him. I could almost believe he is like a ghost, for he can vanish into thin air."

Señora Helena laughed a little. "Surely Sergeant, you do not believe Zorro is a ghost?"

"If you had seen some of the things I have seen, you would believe it too," said the sergeant. "He comes and goes from the cuartel even though guards are posted all around and no one knows how. It is a great mystery."

A soldier came in the inn and walked up to the sergeant. "Sergeant Garcia," he said, saluting. "Capitán Ortega is looking for you and the corporal. You are to come at once."

"Si," said the Sergeant. "I must take my leave, Señora. You will excuse us?" He and the corporal got up to leave. Just as they reached the door, Bernardo came in.

"Oh, hello, Little One," said Sergeant Garcia. Bernardo gave him one of his patented blank looks. Sergeant Garcia looked exasperated. "I keep forgetting he is deaf as well as dumb," he said to the señora. He waved at Bernardo and went on out followed by the corporal.

Bernardo watched the sergeant's departure as he walked over to the bar. He mimed a drink being poured and the innkeeper poured a glass of wine. Bernardo sipped it appreciatively. He had come to the pueblo for two things. One was to pick up some supplies for Don Diego and the other was to . . . . then he remembered. He patted his pockets and found a note that he was supposed to deliver to Señora Del Fuego.

Sitting at the table, Señora Helena watched as Bernardo showed a note to the innkeeper, and the innkeeper pointed to her. Bernardo turned to look at her and smiled hugely when he saw her. He pointed to her and back to the note. The innkeeper nodded and pointed to the note and back to her. _Apparently, this servant is none too bright,_ thought Señora Helena. _His being deaf and dumb must account for that._ She watched as he made his way over to her and bowed, presenting the note to her. She took it and smiled her thanks. He waited patiently while she opened and read the note.

It was from Don Alejandro de la Vega. He said that he had learned she was visiting Los Angeles and as he was having a small dinner party at his hacienda that evening, he would be delighted if she would accept an invitation to dine with him at seven o'clock.

 _This will do nicely,_ she thought. _I may be able to find out more about Zorro from Don Alejandro and his guests. And besides, she would like to be with people who were somewhat more of her own class. She was a little weary of talking only to servants and soldiers. It would be interesting to see what the landed gentry was made out of; to see how they compared to her colleagues in Mexico City. Especially the ones she usually invited to her weekly dinners._

She beckoned to Rudolfo, who had just come in the door. "Rudolfo, please bring me a pen and some paper. I wish to reply to this invitation I have just received." She made a sign to Bernardo to wait for a reply and then pointed to the bar and mimed drinking the wine. To her mild surprise he seemed to understand perfectly as he bowed to her and went over to pick up his glass. When Rudolfo got back with the paper, she inquired how the cleanup was progressing.

"It goes well, Señora. You should be able to move in tomorrow morning." He looked around to see who else might be listening, but only Bernardo was nearby and he looked like he was lost in a world of his own. The innkeeper had gone into the back room.

Señora Helena said, "It is all right to speak. The sergeant said he is deaf. Apparently, he is a servant of the de la Vegas." Rudolfo continued to look at Bernardo. He was a very cautious man. Quietly, he walked up behind Bernardo, who did not seem to know he was there. Suddenly, Rudolfo clapped his hands loudly right behind Bernardo's head. Bernardo did not so much as blink. He just kept on sipping his wine. Rudolfo looked back at Señora Helena and shrugged his shoulders. He was satisfied that the little servant was indeed deaf, so he came back over to the table and sat down next to the señora.

"Señora, I have found out some more information concerning Don Luís' encounter with Zorro," he said. Without turning his head, Bernardo listened intently. He knew about Don Luís from Diego and if these people were somehow involved he needed to know.

Rudolfo continued, "Don Luís was here for two days when he decided to amuse himself by making advances toward a young señorita who was betrothed to another man. She would have nothing to do with him, and he was a little too rough with her. Her fiancé was out of town or he would have been the one to demand satisfaction from Don Luís. As it was, Zorro came in his place. At first, Zorro came to Don Luís in the dead of the night and warned him to stay away from the señorita. When Don Luís persisted, Zorro came again, this time to the inn in broad daylight. He tried to give Don Luís a chance to end it peacefully by inviting him to leave Los Angeles, but Don Luís was spoiling for a fight. Everyone could tell that Zorro did not really want a fight, but Don Luís kept calling him names. It is said that Zorro laughed and told Don Luís to keep calling him names if it made him feel better, but he would be leaving the pueblo all the same. Then Don Luís said something he should not have. He said that Zorro's mother must have been quite a vixen to have whelped such a cur as he. There were several witnesses, and they said you could see the anger in Zorro's eyes.

"They drew their swords. Zorro had Don Luís at his mercy within minutes and then demanded that he apologize for the remarks he had made concerning Zorro's mother. At first Don Luís refused. He declared that he would not apologize to someone who was not his equal, and secondly, he would not apologize for something he held to be the truth. The witnesses said that Zorro stepped back and allowed Don Luís to regain his sword and they began again. Zorro fought like a demon and Don Luís was just no match for him. He put his sword right through Don Luís' shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Zorro would not withdraw the sword until Don Luís finally apologized and swore to leave Los Angeles immediately. He said that if he ever saw Don Luís again, he would kill him."

"That is quite a story, Rudolfo. Montez certainly left out a lot of important details. So Zorro is not so benign as the Sergeant would lead me to believe," said Señora Helena thoughtfully.

"No, Señora. He is a very dangerous man." Once again, Rudolfo looked around to see if anyone else besides Bernardo was near. "Please forgive me, but are you sure that winning a wager is worth the risk?" Bernardo's ears perked up at the word "wager". "You already have the land that Don Luís wagered and you do not need the reward money that unmasking Zorro would bring. Will you not consider leaving this place and returning to Mexico City? After what happened to Don Luís, no one will fault you for not seeing this through."

Señora Helena briefly considered what Rudolfo was asking her. Then with a slight shake of her head she rejected the notion. "Rudolfo, I am surprised that you do not know me after all these years. I never back down from a challenge. No, I will not leave just yet. I started this and I will see it through. Another day or two of asking questions, and I will be able to lay my plans for trapping Zorro myself and learning the identity of the man behind the mask. I do not think he will suspect that a woman such as myself is capable of being a threat to him and he will be caught off guard. Besides, after I saw him at the grist mill last night, I must say that I am determined to meet him for myself."

Rudolfo stood and bowed to the Señora. "You are wrong, Señora. I do know you after all of these years." He showed a shy smile. "I merely entertained the slight hope that I could persuade you this time."

Señora Helena smiled back at him and rose also. "Well, that is settled. Give this note to the de la Vega servant. I am going back to the house to check on Bonita and Contessa. You may continue to move around the pueblo and find out what you can. We will have our lunch at the house at noon. You may report your findings then." Rudolfo bowed and then went over to Bernardo and gave him the note, pointing to the name on the front of it. Bernardo grinned from ear to ear and nodded his head vigorously. He waved cheerily to the Señora and she smiled back at him in encouragement as she turned to leave.

Bernardo wasted no time in getting back to the hacienda. He was bursting with the news about the señora. He found Don Alejandro seated in the sala pouring over some record books and gave him the note. Then he went in search of Diego. He found him reclining on the bed in his room, reading. The younger man was not wearing a jacket and his collar was open in deference to the unusually warm day. Swiftly, Bernardo began to make signs to convey what he had learned. He was moving so fast that Diego was left behind.

"Bernardo," he said holding up his own hands. "You are talking so fast your words are running together. Slow down a bit. The only thing I know so far is that you were to deliver a note from my father to Señora Del Fuego asking her to dine with us this evening." Bernardo nodded eagerly. Taking a deep breath, he made himself slow down and soon Diego had the whole story.

"So, Señora Helena Del Fuego has come to Los Angeles under false pretense," said Diego with an amused tone. He rather enjoyed the idea that he was already wise to her. "If we did not already have so many problems with the ones who carry feathers of the eagle, I might be tempted to have a little fun at her expense. But," he held up his hands, "I cannot take the chance. We must find out who is behind the eagle feathers and what they intend for California. The Magistrado is one of the leaders certainly, but he is not the mastermind. That is the man we must find."

Diego continued. "However, Señora Del Fuego may become a problem. She spoke of laying a trap for Zorro did she not?"  
Bernardo nodded.  
Diego thought for a moment then asked, "How did she seem to you? Was she an intelligent woman?"  
Yes.  
"One accustomed to winning such wagers as she seems to have made?"  
Yes.  
"Determined?"  
Yes, accompanied by a rueful look.  
Diego rose from the bed and paced the floor as he thought some more. "And you say she has already seen Zorro?"  
A nod.  
"Then if she never has Diego to compare him to, it will be all the harder for her to find out who he is. I am not sure how all of this will turn out, but the first part of our plan to deal with Señora Del Fuego means that she, unfortunately, will not have the pleasure of meeting Don Alejandro's finest son."  
At Bernardo's wry look, Diego threw a small pillow at him. "So what if he only has one son? I am the finest one am I not?" Bernardo looked like he was thinking it over, then grinned to show his wholehearted agreement. Diego laughed.

"All right," he said clapping Bernardo on the shoulder. "We need to come up with some excuse to get me out of the house tonight. I know, I will go to visit Padre Benedetto to play chess with him. He always gets wrapped up in the game and forgets what time it is. I will send you back to get a change of clothes for me with the explanation that I will be spending the night at the mission. Then in the future, you and I will have to make sure that the señora never gets a good look at Diego."

At Bernardo's look of dismay, he shrugged his shoulders a little and ran a hand through his hair. "I know it will be hard, Bernardo. But right now, I do not know what else to do. I cannot demand that she leave at the point of a sword like Don Luis; she is a lady after all. I suppose I will just have to wait until you come up with a better solution."

Bernardo gave Diego a sputtering look. Diego pushed Bernardo towards the door. " Now, I will change clothes while you go down and have the horses saddled. We will leave right away."


	5. Chapter Five

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Five**

Señora Helena found Don Alejandro to be a very charming man. He was well versed in the ways of a gentleman and was an excellent host. His hacienda was large and well appointed, but seemed to lack a woman's touch. The decor seemed very masculine. She knew through discreet inquiries that Don Alejandro was a widower and that touched a common bond within her. The other guests he had invited were from nearby haciendas. The dons and their wives were gracious as well and made her feel welcome. Don Alejandro apologized for the absence of his son, Diego. It seemed that he had already made plans before he found out about the dinner. Señora Helena got the distinct impression that while Don Alejandro loved his son, he was not happy with the way he had turned out. But of course, he would not discuss such a thing in mixed company.

The dinner was well prepared and enjoyed by all. Señora Helena made sure to compliment Don Alejandro on his wine. The other guests were very interested to hear about Mexico City and while they were curious about her, they did not ask any questions that might not be proper to a woman in a bereaved state. Señora Helena smiled to herself. These people would not last one night at one of her dinners. They believed too much in honor and genteel manners. Their naivete was amusing. She knew that if she wanted to, she could come in and cut their cattle business right out from under them. She would remember this when she got back to Mexico City. She was always looking for ways to expand her own business.

But she did have another purpose for coming here this evening. So she broached the subject. "As you know, I have come to Los Angeles to find a new home. After such a warm welcome as I have received tonight, I am inclined to find a place of my own and stay here. But as a woman, living alone with only my servants, you can understand why I want to find a place that is safe. All over the town this morning there was nothing but talk of the bandido, Zorro. It seems that he fought the soldiers of the cuartel and helped a prisoner to escape last night. And on the walls of the tavern, I see posters offering enormous rewards for his capture. These things do not inspire comfort, señores."

Don Alejandro spoke up. "Señora Del Fuego, Zorro may be a rogue and a bandit, but he has done as much good as bad. I cannot say I agree with everything he has done, but he saved my life once. The story is too long to go into now, but if it had not been for Zorro, I would have died. Whatever else he is, he seems to have his own code of honor. Whenever the poor and the weak are attacked or exploited by the strong, he will stop at nothing to rescue them. I, for one, think our pueblo is better off since he has come. On the other hand, he has disrupted the officers of the government on many occasions for reasons seemingly his own. That is why such a large reward has been placed on his head. But to his credit, I have never heard of him harming a lady in any manner. I do not think you will have anything to fear from Zorro."

Don Tomás was of another opinion. "I say that Zorro must be captured and brought to justice. He has broken the king's laws and has disrupted the pueblo too many times. The peons look to him as a savior and it promotes unrest among them. Whenever a peon on my rancho needs to be disciplined, they invoke the name of Zorro like a prayer, and I must say it does give me pause. But I will not let a mere outlaw keep me from running my rancho the way I see fit. The sooner he is behind bars, the better."

Several of the other guests had seen Zorro personally. One of them was Señorita Elena Torres, daughter of Don Ignacio Torres. She spoke fondly of Zorro. "Señora Del Fuego, Zorro also saved my father's life. He helped him to escape the clutches of Capitán Monastario and go on his way to Monterey to see the Governor. My father had been falsely accused of treason and his only hope was to appeal to the Governor. Zorro risked his own life to save my father's. I can never thank him enough."

"Have all of his exploits been on so grand a scale?" asked Señora Helena. She was doing what she did best. Gathering information about her quarry. Every little bit of information built a picture of who the bandido was. As she gathered her information, pieces of the puzzle would eventually come together and she would know how to trap Zorro.

Don Alejandro replied, "No they have not. Just the other day, Zorro came to defend the honor of a young señorita of the pueblo. He ran a stranger out of town for making unwanted advances to the señorita who was already betrothed. Sergeant Garcia told me about it."

"Yes, and then there was the time he took down the flag in the cuartel and put his own flag on the pole," said another guest laughing. "I heard that the soldiers had to cut the flag pole down in order to remove Zorro's flag. And no one could figure out how he got in there and put up the flag without being seen. There were guards on duty all night."

"So that is why they say he can walk through walls," said Señora Helena.

"The point is, Señora, that you will probably have more to fear from the tax collector than from Zorro, should you decide to make Los Angeles your home. Zorro comes only now and again; tax collectors are always with us," said Don Alejandro. There was general laughter from around the table. Even Don Tomás looked a little amused.

Not wanting to be too obvious, Señora Helena let the conversation turn to other things. As she traveled back to the Inn later that night, she thought about all that she had learned about Zorro so far. One thing seemed to be common in most of the stories she had heard; Zorro was a man of action. If there was something going on that he did not like, he did something about it. He had his own sense of honor and justice that was really a reflection of the people she had dined with this evening, even Don Tomás, though he would never admit it. But whereas those people could not or would not think of defying authority, Zorro did so on a regular basis.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

The following morning, Señora Helena and her servants moved out of the inn and into the house. Everything was clean and in its place. She had the upstairs bedroom prepared for her and she was well satisfied with the view from the window. She asked Rudolfo to bring a chair and place it by the window so she could sit in it and survey the square. The only corner of the square that she could not see clearly was the one between the magistrado's office and the tavern. That bothered her, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

She spent the morning writing some correspondence to be sent back to Mexico City concerning some ideas she had about the cattle business. The manager she had left in charge of her business would make some inquiries, and when she returned, she would be able to expand into a new market.

She went out in the afternoon to do some shopping. It was not something she was accustomed to; her servants back in Mexico City had usually taken care of all of that. But as a widow, with a limited household, it would not be out of place for her to do some of her own shopping.

As she walked through the plaza she was nearly run over by a group of children playing something called the fox and the coyote. They were singing a song that sounded innocent enough, but she could tell it was really a song about Zorro and his pursuers. One child had a sword and a ragged cloth for a cape and he was play fighting another. _So, even the children wanted to be Zorro!_ She took the opportunity to meet people and engage them in conversation, gently leading them to talk of Zorro. She could find no one who spoke against him. She also could find no one who could give her much of a clue as to who he might be.

The story about Diego de la Vega came up again, but everyone agreed that he could not possibly be Zorro. He could not even handle a sword in the most rudimentary fashion, and several eyewitnesses confirmed that he had been confined in the tavern by Monastario while Zorro rode through the pueblo at the same time. But whoever he was, he seemed to be, at least in the minds of the peons, merchants, and vaqueros, a heroic figure; a black angel sent to save and protect them from harm. Señora Helena did not believe all that she heard. She knew that just like Robin Hood, some things tended to be romanticized and the hard truth was often glossed over because it gave people comfort to think that they had a mysterious protector such as Zorro.

She still believed that money or power in some form was Zorro's motivation for what he did. The peons were just too simple to be able to see it. But she, on the other hand, was just the person who could pierce Zorro's character and discover his motivations. It was what she had done for most of the last twenty years of her life. And she was good at it.

She met the Magistrado of Los Angeles briefly. He was on his way to his office and stopped to introduce himself and extend his welcome to Los Angeles. Señora Helena looked after him as he walked away. There was something about him that left her with the impression that he was a devious man. It was nothing he said, just his demeanor. After he left, she was looking at some scarves, when Capitán Ortega approached her.

"Ah, Señora Del Fuego," he said as he kissed her hand. "It is so good to see you again. I see that you have moved from the inn to your house. I hope that everything is satisfactory."

"Si, Capitán Ortega. I am content with my accommodations for now. Of course, if I do decide to make Los Angeles my home, I will be looking for a more suitable house to purchase."

"We shall try to make your stay as pleasant as possible, Señora," he said smiling. "I wonder if you would do me the honor of dining with me tonight? It has been a long time since I was in Mexico City and I would appreciate the opportunity to talk of it with you." Then remembering the reason she was leaving Mexico City, he hastened to say, "But only if you wish to, Señora. I would not like to bring up unpleasant memories."

Señora Helena affected the look of a brave woman covering up her sorrow. "Mexico City is a place I can never forget, for it will always have a place in my heart. And although it was a place of sorrow for me, it was also the place of great happiness for most of my life. I choose to remember the good times. I will be most happy to have dinner with you, Capitán."

Ortega bowed to her. "Then I will call on you at about eight o'clock and escort you to the inn. Until then," and he again kissed her hand. He continued on his way to the Magistrado's office.

Señora Helena could hardly wait until she was able to return to her home and wash her hands. She instinctively disliked the commandanté even though she had no real reason to do so. He had always been courteous to her. But there was just something about him. _Come to think of it, she'd had the same feeling about the Magistrado. What was it about those two?_ She had accepted the invitation from Ortega because she had no real reason not to, and it was just possible that she could learn something of value from him. Perhaps something about Zorro. Even though he had only been here a short time, he may have picked up some information that she could use. Well, she had dined with worse than him in her time and she knew she was up to the challenge.

That evening, as they lingered over their last glass of wine, Ortega let something slip that immediately caught Señora Helena's attention. She had led the conversation around to Zorro and the commandanté said not to worry about the outlaw, for tomorrow he would have enough information to capture Zorro and have him hanged by noon. When she tried to wheedle more details from him, he became mysterious and changed the subject. She could not press him without exposing her own designs on Zorro, so she had to back off.

As Ortega escorted her back to her house, he pointed to the center of the plaza now bathed in the moonlight and said that she would see something very interesting happening there in the morning. Señora Helena thanked him for a very nice evening and said her goodbyes.

After he was gone, she thought about the possibility that Capitán Ortega could actually capture Zorro. After what she had witnessed in the grist mill the other night, she knew that Ortega had a personal score to settle with Zorro. But she also knew, having just spent a great deal of time with him, that he probably did not have a chance. Oh, he thought of himself as a clever man, but . . . . She shook her head amused at the thought. Well, she would wait and see what the morning would bring.


	6. Chapter Six

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Six**

The next day, about mid-morning, Rudolfo came into the house, to the room Señora Helena charitably called her parlor, and said that a peon had been running around the plaza shouting that the soldiers had captured Zorro.

Señora Helena's heart skipped a beat. Could it be true? Quickly, she went up to her second story window so that she could look out over the plaza because she remembered the commandanté's words about seeing something interesting there. To her dismay, she saw a large cage on a cart being pulled out into the plaza with a man dressed all in black inside. From where she was, she could see that it was Zorro.

A crowd quickly gathered around and the soldiers had to push them back. Sergeant Garcia seemed to be reading a proclamation of some sort. Completely disappointed, Señora Helena grabbed the curtains and jerked them across the window to block the plaza from her sight. She sat down in her chair and sulked. Ortega had pulled it off! He had beaten her to the capture of Zorro. She ran the servants out of the room. She wanted to be alone.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Unknown to Señora Helena, Diego and Bernardo had pulled up in their carriage just as the peon had been shouting about the capture of Zorro. They were astonished to say the least. They watched as the false Zorro was pulled out into the plaza in his cage. Señora Helena had not seen the two of them because they came in on the road that passed between the Magistrado's office and the tavern, the only part of the plaza she could not see. Because of the threat posed by Señora Del Fuego, Bernardo was forced to stay by the carriage to watch for her. He would try to warn Diego if he saw her. Diego walked over toward the water well to take a better look. He arrived in time to hear Sergeant Garcia read the proclamation stating that Zorro would be unmasked and hanged at noon.

Had Señora Helena remained at her window only a few seconds more, she would have seen Diego talking to the sergeant.

Diego did not know what game was being played here, nor did he know by whom. He suspected it was some ploy by the Magistrado since the military was involved. He tried to pump Sergeant Garcia for information, but it was clear that he was as much in the dark as Diego was. The sergeant left saying that he had to go and supervise the building of the scaffold. There was only one thing left to do. Diego walked over to where Bernardo was waiting by the carriage.

Pretending to adjust the mule's bridle he said in low tones, "It would be unfortunate if some innocent man were hanged for impersonating Zorro. On the other hand, it may be just a trick to capture the real Zorro. The situation will bear watching. I will take a room here at the tavern for the night. Bring me a change of clothes."

Here Bernardo looked to make sure no one was watching and made the sign of a "Z".

"Yes, hurry." said Diego. Bernardo quickly got in the carriage as Diego went into the tavern. He remained there for a time drinking some wine and listening to the talk of Zorro's capture. He did not learn anything new, however.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Back at Señora Helena's house, things were quiet. No one dared to disturb her when she was in such a dark mood. She had come all the way to this dirt town only to see someone else capture Zorro. Now she would have to go back to Mexico City and bear with Don Luís' needling comments. She stewed for an hour or so. Finally she took a deep breath. She might as well go down and take a close look at El Zorro since he was near by. She went downstairs and told her servants what she was going to do. They asked to come also. They too wanted to see this infamous bandido. So the four of them headed out across the plaza towards the cart. She could see the bandido leaning on the bars of his cage speaking to a soldier who had just walked over from the cuartel. Their backs were to her. As they drew near, she heard Zorro speaking.

"Hey, Pablo, give me some water, eh? Hurry up. I do not want anyone to see. I will be glad to get back into my uniform. These black clothes are very hot in the sun."

"Si, Roberto," said the guard. "Just a minute. I have to draw a bucket of water before I can give you some."

Señora Helena held up her hand to stop her servants and then motioned them to follow her as she turned and walked quickly away from the cage. She did not want the soldier and the captive to know she had overheard.

Her spirit had been restored. The man in the cage was a false Zorro! He was a soldier from the cuartel, dressed as the bandido. She still had a chance to win the wager after all. She did not have a clue as to what was going on; Ortega's little hint was still too vague to be of any help. As they walked back over to her house, she heard the sound of hammering coming from inside the cuartel. Glancing over that way, she was able to look inside the gate and see that a scaffold was being constructed.

She shook her head. None of this made any sense. Señora Helena clinched her teeth. She did not like being in the dark.

As soon as she got in the house, she sent Rudolfo back out to find out what he could by talking to the peons and shop keepers. Specifically, she wanted to know what was in the proclamation that Sergeant Garcia had read and anything else he could discover. She went back upstairs and opened the curtains again and raised the window to let in some air. She made herself comfortable in her chair by the window, determined to watch the plaza to see what developed.

Noon was approaching. By ones and twos peons and vaqueros were gathering in the plaza bringing carts and crates with them. At first Señora Helena did not think much of it, but then the number of peons began to make an impression on her mind. These people were up to something, but as yet she could not tell just what. Her attention was distracted as Rudolfo came in to make his report. She turned to face him with her back to the window as he filled her in on what he had learned.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Diego walked out of the tavern and immediately noticed the large number of peons and vaqueros gathering in the plaza. They were pulling carts of all sizes and hauling crates and bags with them. They were all heading in the general direction of the cuartel gates. Sizing up the situation, he thought he knew why they were here. He was secretly flattered, but he had to stop them. They did not know that they were trying to save a false Zorro.

In the back of his mind he was worried about the whereabouts of Señora Helena and her prying eyes, but he could not just stand aside and do nothing. So he went over to try and reason with some of the peons closest to the cuartel.

"Excuse me, amigos. Is this some kind of holiday? So many of you here and the harvest going unattended?" he asked them.

"It is not a holiday, Patron," said on of the peons. "We are here on a different matter."

"Perhaps to free the outlaw, Zorro, eh?"

"He is our friend," was the heartfelt reply.

"Nevertheless, he is an outlaw," said Diego. "Take the advice of one who has your best interest at heart and leave this place. Your foolish action will earn for you only a lashing at the whipping post."

"With all due respect to you, Don Diego, we cannot stand idly by and see Zorro hung. He is our only protection against the likes of the commandanté and the magistrado." With that the peons turned away from Diego. It was clear that nothing he could say would change their minds.

He turned and saw some of his father's vaqueros who were close by. He went over to them. "Juan, what are you doing here?" he said.

"Like the rest, Patron. I come when I heard Zorro had been captured."

"I'm not sure that my father would approve of a de la Vega vaquero attempting to aid this bandit. I must ask you to go home." He looked at the other vaqueros. " I advise you men to do the same."

"I am sorry, Patron," said Juan. Then with a voice full of emotion he said, "But this man, Zorro, he may be an outlaw and a bandit in the eyes of the law, but he is the only one to stand between us and the whipping post." Then he and his men also turned away from Don Diego. Everyone was being polite to the son of Don Alejandro, but it was clear that they had their minds made up. Diego was deeply touched that these people, as unarmed and unprepared as they were, cared enough to risk their lives for Zorro and by extension, him. He was at a loss as to what to do when he saw Bernardo pulling up at the tavern in the carriage. Maybe he could not do anything, but Zorro could! He met Bernardo and together they walked quietly behind the tavern with Bernardo carrying a satchel.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Señora Helena turned back to the window just in time to see the peons signaling to each other. They all ran to pull their carts in front of the cuartel gate in order to block it, piling on anything that they could get their hands on. She could not tell what, if anything was going on in the cuartel. But she saw several peons run over to the cage where the false Zorro was and start to free him. The caged Zorro began to call out to the lancers within the cuartel. "Lancers!" he cried again and again. She could tell that the peons were so focused on releasing the prisoner that they did not heed his cries.

Suddenly, a man on a great black horse came tearing into her sight from the direction of the tavern. He was dressed all in black, cape flying in the wind. He was crying a warning to the peons in front of the cuartel. "Run for your lives, it is a trap! Run for your lives!" He spun the horse around and galloped over to pull up in front of the caged Zorro. "It is a trick! I am Zorro!" he cried.

"If you are Zorro, then who is he?" the peons asked.

"One of the commandanté's men. He is an imposter. Tear off his mask and see for yourselves!" There was a great struggle between the peons and the false Zorro, but soon the mask was off. One of them cried, "It is Roberto! It is a trick men, we have been tricked!" The peons scattered. Señora Helena only had eyes for the real Zorro. She watched him closely. She had to admit her heart was beating a bit faster than she was accustomed to.

The lancers on horseback, led by the commandanté, finally broke free of the barricade and began pursuit of the real Zorro. He rode straight for Señora Helena's house. She ran to another window to see him disappear around a corner just past a small well on the other side of the house. The commandanté was close on his heels. She was about to return to her bedroom window, when to her astonishment, she saw Ortega come around the same corner again, headed back to the plaza with the real Zorro, unhorsed, on the end of his rope. She did not know what fortune had smiled upon the commandanté that he should have captured Zorro. Her heart sank.

She found herself laughing mere moments later as she watched Zorro, who was being towed roughly by Ortega's rope, suddenly snug the rope up against the small well using his leg to brace himself. Ortega was pulled off his horse, saddle and all, to land on his face. Zorro threw off the rope and leaped on the commandanté's horse barebacked and flew down the street, right under Señora Helena's window again. She leaned out trying to get a good look at him. Then realizing what she must look like, tried to regain her composure.

She saw Sergeant Garcia ride up and announce that they had captured Zorro's horse. The look that Ortega gave the sergeant made Señora Helena laugh again. She had not been this well entertained in years. Ortega limped slowly back to the cuartel behind the lancers who were leading Zorro's horse. She went back to her bedroom window to watch. Soon there was no one in the plaza, with only the empty cage, some carts, and a few broken crates to show that anything had happened.

She spoke to Rudolfo who had witnessed all this with her. "We certainly have had an interesting morning, Rudolfo. It looks like the excitement is over for now."

"Yes, Señora, I believe it is," said Rudolfo. Ever the practical one, Rudolfo asked, "Would the Señora like to have lunch now? It is after noon and Contessa has it ready."

"Yes, I am hungry. I will be down in a few minutes. Go and tell her for me." Rudolfo bowed and left. Señora Helena stood by her window thinking. She found herself wondering just where the real Zorro had heard about the trap for the peons and how he knew just when to come. _For that matter just where did he come from? Did he live in the pueblo or out in the countryside at one of the haciendas? She thought about how he must be able to move freely around the pueblo. Since he wore a mask, none would know his face. What would it be like to be this Zorro and be able to walk anonymously through the town? He was truly like a fox if he could do this and it would explain how he might find out useful information._

She was also beginning to think that this bandit really did have an altruistic streak. So far, everything she had seen of him would lead her in that direction. She was not willing to believe that he was totally selfless, but he was predictable enough in his altruism that she could use that against him. A plan was beginning to form in her mind. After lunch, she would iron out the details and fill her servants in on the parts she wanted them to help her with.


	7. Chapter Seven

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Seven**

After they had eaten and Señora Helena had changed into her riding clothes, Rudolfo brought a couple of horses from the blacksmith's corral saddled for riding. It had been a while since she had ridden and she found she was enjoying herself. She wanted to go back down the road towards San Pedro and explore the old winery she had seen when they had first come to Los Angeles. Before they went in, Señora Helena and Rudolfo rode completely around the structure. There was only one way in or out of the old building; the large door in the front. That was good. They dismounted and went inside. For such an old building, it was in surprisingly good shape. There was a large ground floor area with a smaller loft area above. The building would do for what she had in mind.

Rudolfo had followed his mistress out here to this abandoned building without asking any questions, but finally it got the better of him. So he turned to Señora Helena and asked, "Excuse me, Señora. But what is there about this building that will help you to capture Zorro? There is nothing here that would cause him to come here."

"Oh, but there will be, Rudolfo. There will be. Zorro has a weakness. He cannot stand by and let innocent people be wronged without doing something to help them. So we are going to create a situation that is sure to bring him here. Then we will capture him. Do you remember that Zorro took great exception to Don Luís when he insulted Zorro's mother? How long do you think Zorro could stay away if he knew that mothers and grandmothers had been kidnaped and brought here?"

"But where will these mothers and grandmothers come from?" asked Rudolfo.

"Tomorrow you and I will take a carriage and drive around the countryside. We will stop at the homes of peons and vaqueros. I will say that I have work for some women to do and I will chose the ones I want to come. We will only invite the women from homes where the menfolk are away at work. I will tell the women that they are to meet us at three o'clock in the afternoon at the crossroads. We will pick them up in a wagon and bring them here. They will be told that they cannot return to their homes and, if necessary we will tie them up. When the men return home and find their women missing, the news is sure to reach Zorro."

"But how will he know where to find them?" asked Rudolfo.

"It seems that El Zorro has mysterious ways of finding out things. He will know."

"As you say, Señora." Rudolfo said without conviction.

"I am right. You will see. Now, let us return to the pueblo. We will make an early start in the morning."

When they arrived back at the plaza, they found that a corral had been constructed near the tavern and that a magnificent black horse was pacing to and fro within it. There was a sign proclaiming that an auction for Zorro's horse would be held at two o'clock. If Señora Helena did not have so much else on her mind she would be tempted to bid on the animal. But she did not want to get involved. Besides, if the military was involved, that meant that Ortega was involved, and she did not want to be taken in by one of his schemes. For she was sure that he had some angle to capture Zorro mixed up in this. So she went into the house to change, sending Rudolfo over to the inn to be her eyes and ears.

He looked over the situation and decided nothing much would be happening until auction time, so he went into the tavern and took a table there. He ordered a glass of wine. After a few moments, Sergeant Garcia came in and started posting an auction poster on the wall by the stairs. A young man came down the stairs and was greeted happily by the Sergeant.

"Ah, Don Diego, this is indeed a pleasant surprise." This caused Rudolfo to turn around to look at the young caballero who was ordering tea for both him and the sergeant. He was mildly amused to see the sergeant intercept the barmaid and change the order to wine. He only had a moment to look at the young man's face as he sat down with his back to Rudolfo. So this was Don Diego de la Vega. Like his mistress, he had only seen him from afar until now. To his mind, he bore a disquieting resemblance to Señora Helena's deceased son. He was more mature certainly, but he had a way of carrying himself that brought back memories. He turned around, so that it would not look like he was eavesdropping.

He listened to the lighthearted banter between the two men as they discussed the sergeant's desire to buy Zorro's horse. Unfortunately, the only thing standing in the sergeant's way was lack of funds. Rudolfo raised his eyebrows as he heard Don Diego offer to lend the sergeant five hundred pesos so that he could bid on the horse. He would not have given someone such as the sergeant so much as a centavo for fear he would only use it to buy wine to pour into that immense body of his. But, Don Diego was apparently willing, for the money changed hands. Then the sergeant excused himself and left. Don Diego waited for a moment, then he went outside also. Rudolfo looked around and found the tavern empty. It was close to two o'clock. He decided to go and watch the auction himself.

Outside, there were many different people there to see the auction gathered around the corral. He chose to stand near the sergeant who was conducting the auction. Don Diego and his deaf mute servant were just across the corral from him. They both were intensely watching the horse as he snorted and pranced around the enclosure. As the sergeant conducted the auction, it soon became clear that no one would be bidding on the horse except for the rather inept corporal. In the end, the corporal was the proud owner of Zorro's horse even though he looked less than enthusiastic about it. Rudolfo watched as Don Diego made some comment to the commandanté that seemed to irritate him. Ortega stalked off to confront the sergeant. Bernardo turned and smiled at his master who rolled his eyes and grinned back. They left and walked to the tavern.

Rudolfo watched the commandanté chew on the sergeant for spoiling the auction because it had been a trap for Zorro. He was about to go back to the house to report to Señora Helena, when he heard the commandanté call for the soldier, Roberto. Roberto had been the soldier that had impersonated Zorro only this morning. Ortega was ordering Roberto to take Zorro's horse and put him back in the stable, but Roberto had a better idea. He suggested that they should leave the horse in the corral and see if Zorro would come under the cover of darkness and try to free him. Ortega thought for a moment and agreed.

After she heard what Rudolfo had to report, Señora Helena found herself irritated by the machinations of Ortega. She did not like the way he kept on trying to come up with ways to capture Zorro when that was exactly what she was trying to do herself. The actions he was taking might possibly interfere with her plans by making Zorro too cautious to take her bait. Well, she would just have to trust Zorro not to be taken in by Ortega's plan so that he would remain free (and here she laughed to herself), . . . so that he would remain free to fall into her trap. She was also a little disappointed that she had not attended the auction herself and had missed an opportunity to meet Don Alejandro's son, Diego. She had met almost everyone else of importance in Los Angeles with this one exception. If she had to remain in the pueblo much longer, she was going to have to remedy that situation.

That night, after dark, Rudolfo came running into the house with the news that the corral in the plaza was on fire. He had gone to the tavern to buy several bottles of wine for Señora Helena's larder. Don Diego was there having supper when his servant Bernardo had run in excited by some news for he was making all kinds of gestures to his master. There was a cry of "fire" from the plaza and Diego rushed out followed by the servant. Rudolfo was right behind them. When he saw the soldier beating the black horse with a whip, he wasted no time in heading for Señora Helena. Thus he failed to see Bernardo hanging on to Diego to keep him from rushing to Tornado's rescue.

Señora Helena hastily went up the stairs to her bedroom window followed by her servants. They watched as the horse reared and pawed at his attacker silhouetted against the flames. A crowd had gathered and they were trying to put out the fire and soldiers were pouring out of the cuartel.

The soldiers pulled their fallen comrade out of the burning corral and carried him into the tavern. Just as they were coming back out, Zorro made a spectacular appearance by swinging into the corral on a rope. Soon he was in the saddle and he and the horse were sailing over the flaming rails of the coral, headed right for Señora Helena's house. They pounded past her window and she was able to hear the drumming of hooves fade into the night. She sat in her chair and chuckled to herself. That Zorro! He was apparently fearless. He was willing to risk his life for nothing more than a horse and had left the soldiers flat footed and unable to pursue him to boot. She imagined Ortega's face when he heard the news and laughed again. As she looked back at the plaza, she could see that the fire was out and that the people were leaving. Tonight's excitement was over.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Diego too was growing weary of the commandanté's plots to capture Zorro. Since he had taken a room at the Inn, he had to hurry and get back there before he was missed. He sent Bernardo home with Tornado and his black clothing while he went back in to resume his interrupted supper. As he expected, all of the talk was of Zorro and the liberation of his horse. He did manage to join a game of cards with a few vaqueros and played his guitar for a time to the delight of the young waitress. Finally Bernardo returned and Diego called it a night. He and Bernardo went up to his room.

"Is Tornado all right? If that soldier hurt him in any way he will not live through the night," Diego said with a great deal of anger. He owed his life a dozen times over to Tornado and he would not have him abused like that. Bernardo signaled that Tornado had not suffered any injuries. He had been eating his oats contentedly when Bernardo had left the cave. "It is well," said Diego calming down. "I want to thank you for holding me back earlier. I could have taken Roberto apart with my bare hands for whipping Tornado." He smiled ruefully, "It turned out better this way."

Bernardo smiled in agreement. He had only just been able to hold Diego to keep him from making a mistake and giving away his identity. He too wanted to help Tornado, but he knew that neither he or Diego could do it; only Zorro. He made signs to ask if they would be going home the next day.

"No, I think we will spend another night here at the Inn. We need to keep searching for information on the ones who carry the eagle's feathers." Bernardo made a sign. Diego replied, "What about Señora Del Fuego? We will have to be on our guard, of course. If you will keep an eye on her whereabouts, then I will be free to move about and ask questions. Come, let us get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."


	8. Chapter Eight

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Eight**

In keeping with his character, Diego stayed in his room the next morning, ostensibly still sleeping, while Bernardo was already out and watching Señora Helena's house. Around nine in the morning, Señora Helena and her servant Rudolfo left in a carriage and headed out on the road to San Pedro. Bernardo hurried to tell Diego. He was just coming down to have his breakfast, but went back up to his room so that he and Bernardo could talk. Diego rubbed his chin with his hand and said, "I wonder what she is up to. I do not think she is just going for a ride. She has some purpose in mind. Quickly. Go and saddle the horses and we will follow her." Bernardo left. Diego went downstairs and ordered some bread and cheese that he took with him. Who knew what the day might hold and when they might get to eat anything?

They cut across country after they were away from the town and soon were in sight of Señora Helena's carriage. Keeping well back and under what cover presented itself, they followed for several miles. The carriage turned into the old winery and stopped. From their hiding place they could see Rudolfo carrying some things into the building and then he and the señora stayed inside for a considerable time. Diego's curiosity was just about to get the better of him when they came back out and got in the carriage and drove off. But they were not returning to town, they were headed the other way. Sending Bernardo to watch them, Diego rode down to the old winery himself.

Carefully he looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He opened the door and went in. There to the left were a couple of small kegs that contained water and some bundles that contained some food. There was enough for a dozen people, or enough for several days' worth of rations for two or three people depending on how you looked at it. He saw nothing else, but he knew that the two of them had been in here longer that it would have taken just to bring these few items in and place them here. He looked up. Perhaps the loft held the answer. He climbed the ladder and began to look around. He saw nothing.

As he began to descend the ladder, his hand touched a rope that was tied to the nearby post. Following the rope with his eyes he saw what he was after. Suspended above the doorway was a large net. This rope was set to release the net to drop on whoever might be standing in the doorway. "Very clever, Señora," he thought. He wondered what ruse the señora planned to use to get Zorro to come to this place. "Zorro will come," he thought. "But I am afraid the Señora is going to be disappointed when her net fails to catch the fox." He smiled.

Going outside, he mounted his palomino and hurried down the road to catch up to Bernardo. He had only gone about a mile when he heard a whistle and turned aside into the rocks. Bernardo was there. He pointed to the little group of huts that belonged to a poor family of peons. Señora Helena's carriage could be seen leaving.

"We need to find out what she said to them," said Diego. He waited until the carriage was well out of sight. "Wait here." As he rode down to the huts he tried to come up with a plausible reason to be out here. It was not every day that a young caballero pulled up at such an out of the way place.

There were several women and a few children working around the huts. No men were visible. He pulled up and greeted the women. "Buenos dias, Señoras. Have you by any chance seen a carriage pass this way?"

"Si, Señor. Señora Del Fuego and her servant just drove off down the road that way," said an older woman who was probably a grandmother. She pointed in the direction of San Pedro. "Is there something wrong, Señor?"

"No, no. I have just come from the pueblo and there are some things that she has forgotten and I wanted to ask her if I should go back to town and get them for her," Diego said thinking fast.

"Oh, that is good, Señor. We were afraid that the work we were promised for this afternoon would be canceled."

"Work?" questioned Diego.

"Yes, the Señora Del Fuego has promised me and my daughter five pesos if we would come to the crossroads at three o'clock today. She said she would pick us up and take us to a place where we could do some work for her. You did not know this, Señor?" The older woman looked up at him suspiciously.

"Oh, Si. I knew. I just did not know that she was already offering work today. I did not think she would be starting until tomorrow. Thank you for the information. I must catch up to the Señora. You will excuse me?" and he touched the brim of his hat and galloped off down the road. Once out of sight, he turned off the road and went back to where Bernardo was waiting. "I do not know everything that the señora is planning," he said. "But it involves getting women to come to the old winery this afternoon and springing a trap on Zorro."

Bernardo looked concerned. "Do not worry so much, my friend," laughed Diego. "We know that a trap exists and they do not know that we know. That is always an advantage. Now I know it is a long ride, but I will need you to go and fetch Tornado and Zorro's things. I will go back to the pueblo and wait for you there. Here, take some of this food with you. It has been a long time since you had your breakfast and I have had none. I will see you at the Inn."

Bernardo waved as he rode off and Diego rode leisurely back to the pueblo.

Bernardo arrived back in the pueblo in the early afternoon. Diego could tell that everything was ready as he had asked. As they walked around the plaza, Diego told Bernardo to go back to the old winery and watch to see what was happening. He hated to be so hard on Bernardo, for he had already ridden many miles today, but he needed to stay in town and Bernardo was the only one of them that could go.

Ever faithful Bernardo took a deep breath and sighed, then nodded his head in agreement. Diego patted him on the back in sympathy. Bernardo pantomimed gaining his second wind and walked off briskly on his mission. Diego smiled fondly after his servant.

Bernardo returned a couple of hours later and reported that around eight women, all of them older women, had gone into the old winery and had not come out. Taking a chance, he had sneaked up to the door and peeked in. The women were not doing any work at all. The were just standing around in a little group and Rudolfo was holding a pistol in his hand. He was not actively menacing the women with it, but it was clear that the women were not free to go. The women looked frightened.

Just before he left, Bernardo heard Señora Helena telling the women to sit down and be comfortable. They would all receive the pay that they had been promised, but they would not be going home until she said so. Some of the women began to complain that their husbands and children would be missing them.

"That is what I am counting on," said Señora Helena.

Diego summed it all up. "So that is her plan! She wants word to get out to Zorro that a group of mothers and grandmothers have been kidnaped. And when he goes to the old winery to rescue them, he will be caught in a net like a fish. I will give her points for originality. She has figured out that Zorro has a soft place in his heart for mothers and is willing to use that against him. But I think that Zorro will just watch from a distance tonight. I do not believe that Señora Del Fuego will harm the women and she has food and water prepared for them so they will not go hungry. Their husbands and children may have a bad time of it tonight, but no lasting harm will come."

Seeing that Bernardo was looking beat he said, "Go on and lie down on the bed and take a nap. Then we will have our supper and take in what entertainment the tavern has to offer. Zorro need not ride until well after dark tonight."

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

As the sun set and the night grew dark, Señora Helena found herself growing tense with anticipation. She knew that she had just the right bait to bring Zorro to her tonight. Rudolfo was up in the loft with the release rope in his hand. As soon as Zorro was in the right place, he would drop the net on him and Zorro would be theirs. She let none of her emotion touch her face, however. It would not do to lose her composure in front of a bunch of peon women. She was a lady of class after all.

As the women talked among themselves, Señora Helena could hear Zorro's name being mentioned. Curious, she went to them. "Tell me," she said. "What do you know of Zorro? Where does he come from? Who is he?"

One of the older women spoke. "We cannot tell you his name, Señora, for we do not know it. And we cannot tell you where he comes from, for we do not know this either. But we can tell you that he is a wonderful man for he has saved the lives of many of our people and asks nothing for himself. He believes in justice for all, whether peon or wealthy landowner. Any of us here," and she indicated all the women, "would be proud to have a son like El Zorro."

"A son who is an outlaw," sniffed Señora Helena.

"El Zorro is only considered an outlaw by those corrupt men that he has defeated, Señora. Because he keeps them from twisting the laws to their own favor they want to see him hanged." She raised her hand to indicate the other women, "But we love El Zorro. He is our protector." The other women smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Well, we will see about that. Now all of you be quiet." The women looked at Señora Helena and back at each other. She had the distinct feeling that they pitied her for some reason. Turning her back on them she went back to her position to wait for Zorro.

Slowly the night wore on. Nine o'clock came and went. Then it was midnight. Two o'clock crept by. Señora Helena began to be irritated. How just like a man to be late! Would this bandido ever get here? Then she began to fret that Ortega had tried another trap of his own and had either captured Zorro or had run him back into the hills again. At four o'clock in the morning, Señora Helena was pacing the floor in anger, heedless of what the peon women might think. Most of them were asleep anyway.

Rudolfo was still sitting motionless in the loft. He was thinking that if Zorro was to show up now, that he was so stiff from sitting there all night that he would not be able to get down the ladder before Zorro freed himself. He was very sleepy. Only the wrath that would fall on him from Señora Helena kept him awake.

Finally, Señora Helena went to the winery door and opened it. She could see the first grey light of dawn. Tired and disappointed, she called to Rudolfo.

"Rudolfo! Come down here at once." Standing with her hands on her hips she waited. Rudolfo came down slowly. She pointed at the women.

"Release them and give them the money I promised them. Protector? Humph. Zorro does not care for the likes of them or he would have come here to rescue them tonight," she said, not disguising the disgust she was feeling. She threw the pistol she had been carrying all night on top of one of the empty barrels.

The women were getting up and looking around. Rudolfo gave each of them five pesos and they went out of the winery door in ones and twos to disappear down the road going home. The last one to leave was the woman who had spoken to her last night. She stopped in front of Señora Helena. "Do you have something to say?" Helena asked in her iciest tones.

"Si, Señora. El Zorro chose his name for a reason. He knew that this would be a trap for him and that we were not really in any danger. A fox is among the hardest creatures to capture for he can sense a trap in ways that we cannot understand. I know that he was watching over us this night. He is still our protector. Nothing you can say will change our minds about that. Buenos dias, Señora."

Señora Helena was left speechless. That old woman claimed that Zorro was watching over them. Preposterous. Zorro was probably not within miles of here. She watched as the old woman disappeared down the road. She turned to see Rudolfo looking at her through puffy eyes. She probably did not look much better.

"Go and get the wagon and we will return to Los Angeles," she said as she went over to sit on an upturned barrel to wait. Rudolfo went out of the winery and around to the back where the horses were.

Señora Helena looked around at the empty winery. She had been so sure that Zorro would come.

When she looked back towards the open door of the building, she found Zorro standing there looking at her with an amused look on his face. Startled, she stood up and backed up a pace.

"Buenas noches, Señora," said Zorro with a bow. "Or perhaps I should say, buenas dias. I believe that is the sun I see rising over the hill there."

Señora Helena looked around for the pistol she had put down on the barrel only moments before. In one fluid motion, Zorro drew his sword and used it to flip the pistol several yards away.

As he sheathed it again, he said, "We will have none of that. I merely wish to speak to you Señora. But one moment." As Rudolfo came in, still half asleep, Zorro pulled out his sword again and placed the tip on his heart. Rudolfo looked down in surprise.

"Señor, if you will be so kind as to step over here?" Zorro pointed to where some ropes were laying on the straw. Soon he had Rudolfo tied up. "I trust I will not have to gag you, Señor?" Rudolfo nodded.

"Now, Señora, we will talk. Will you tell me what you hoped to accomplish with all of this?" Zorro said as he indicated the winery with a sweep of his hand. "Surely you were not trying to capture me?" He smiled mischievously.

Señora Helena would not be baited. She folded her arms and said, "That is indeed what we were trying to do, Señor Zorro." This was the first time that Señora Helena had been this close to Zorro. She studied him closely, noting his height and the breadth of his shoulders. She took in the color of Zorro's eyes behind the mask (Alberto's eyes had been almost that same hazel color) and the mustache that he wore. She memorized the sound of his voice and even the way he held himself. All of these things could be important at a later time in identifying the man who stood before her.

Zorro said, "Ah, I see. And just what did you plan to do with me after you captured me?" Again that mischievous smile.

"We would have turned you in to the commandanté and collected the reward of course."

"The reward," said Zorro nodding. "But, Señora, I was under the impression that your husband left you quite well off. What need have you of the reward money?"

"One can never have too much money, Señor Zorro. As a bandido, you should share my sentiments." Zorro bowed slightly in acknowledgment. "May I presume that you will be relieving me of my valuables before you leave?" she asked.

"No, Señora. I will not," said Zorro becoming serious. "You misunderstand what it is that I do here in Los Angeles. There are things at stake here beside which money pales in comparison."

"Do you mean such things as power and influence?" asked Señora Helena.

"That is very perceptive of you, Señora," said Zorro, his eyes narrowing. "How did you come to make that determination? Most people would fail to see it."

"You forget, Señor Zorro, that I come from Mexico City. My husband moved in powerful circles. I have seen what money can buy and I have seen what power can do. Having power is always preferable. Power gives you control over the people who have the money."

Zorro was struck by the confident way Señora Helena delivered these statements. He felt that she intimately knew what she was talking about. His instincts told him that Señora Helena was even more than he or Bernardo had expected. She had a hard edge to her that bordered on ruthlessness. He did not sense that she was corrupt like the ones who carried the eagle's feathers, but she was shrewd, calculating, and used to getting what she wanted. She did not like to lose. He could see that he was going to have a very difficult time ahead of him if he could not convince her to leave him alone and return to Mexico City.

So he spoke earnestly to her. "Power in the hands of benevolent men can be a good thing. But when corrupt men, men who only want power for power's sake rise to prominence, then the people suffer. Excessive taxes are levied to fund their schemes. When the people cannot possibly pay, their property is confiscated or they are sold as indentured servants and taken from their families. Death follows such men of power and claims many of their victims. The rights and freedoms provided in our laws are abrogated. Those who would protest are branded traitors and sentenced to prison and death.

"I cannot stand by while these things go on. When the people cry out for justice and there is no one else who will help them, I come. I take what God has blessed me with and use it to help the people as much as I can in the only way that I can. This usually puts me on the opposite side from the corrupt men who are in charge of such government as we have. Thus, I am branded an outlaw and a price is placed on my head. There are forces gathering even now in Los Angeles who are working schemes on a grand scale against the lawful government of Spain. You being from Mexico, may not feel as we do about our loyalty to Spain and the king, but rest assured our feelings run deep.

"If you continue in your desire to capture me, you may be condemning many people to the life I have just described. At present, I am the only one in a position to try and discover their plots and put a stop to them. Remove me and the fate of California hangs in the balance."

"You think very highly of yourself, Señor Zorro," said Señora Helena. "One man against so many? Perhaps you yourself have come to believe in all of the stories told about you. The peons attribute many wondrous deeds to El Zorro. It would take more than a mere mortal to have accomplished even half of them," she said letting her sarcasm show.

Zorro's eyes bored into hers. "No, Señora. I am just a man. But I am a man of convictions and a man of honor. And I will not let California be taken while there is breath in me." He held her with his eyes for a moment more and then strode over to the door of the winery.

"Go back to Mexico City, Señora Del Fuego. California already has enough people trying to take advantage of her without adding one more." He gave her a broad salute and swept out of the door. She ran over to it in time to see him ride away in a cloud of dust.

Later, as she and Rudolfo drove back to the pueblo, Señora Helena thought about Zorro and all of the people that she knew in Los Angeles. She tried to match his physical characteristics with anyone that she knew. She could not come up with anyone. She knew that Zorro was not a commoner. His bearing and manner of speaking convinced her of that.

In the time she had been here, she had met or seen almost everyone of importance. Everyone with one notable exception: Don Diego de la Vega. She thought about Sergeant Garcia's story concerning Don Diego and Monastario. Now having met Zorro, and having been outfoxed by him tonight, she wasn't so sure that he could not have pulled off something like being in two places at once. That would mean he had an accomplice. And Don Diego had a servant named Bernardo . . . .

She decided that she would make a concerted effort to meet the son of Don Alejandro. She had only seen Don Diego from a distance the first day she had arrived. About the only thing that she was sure of was that he had broad shoulders like Zorro. He had been too far away to discern any facial features and he had been seated in the carriage so she did not know how tall he was. When she did get to meet him; however, she would know instantly whether it was true that he was Zorro or not. She was that sure of herself and her abilities.

But first, she and Rudolfo were going to have to get some sleep. He was not as young as he used to be and was looking somewhat like death warmed over. She did not want to think what she must look like. As soon as she entered the house, she had Contessa and Bonita draw a warm bath for her and lay out her nightgown. Bonita brought her something to eat afterwards. Soon she was asleep. Her sleep was restless, however, and full of dreams.

She dreamt that she had captured Zorro, and when she pulled off the mask, it was the face of her son, Alberto, that she saw. She awoke with a start, gasping for breath. She reached for a glass of water and regained her composure. It was only a dream, she told herself as she lay back down and finally drifted to sleep again. But that dream continued to haunt her thoughts.

When Señora Helena next awoke, the shadows were growing long in the plaza. It would be dark in a few hours. She put on her dressing gown and went to the door of her bedroom to call for her servants.

"Bonita, bring me something to eat," she said. "And you, Contessa, help me make myself presentable again." As she finished her toilette, Señora Helena had Bonita bring her food to the small table by her bedroom window. She was just going to sit in her chair the rest of the day and watch the goings on in the pueblo. Who knows, she might get to see Don Diego if he came into the town. Unfortunately, he did not.

The evening was quiet. Señora Helena read a book for a few hours and then finally decided to call it a night. She checked with Rudolfo, who looked much, much better for having had some sleep himself, and found that he had only heard one thing of interest when he had gone to the tavern for supper. There was some talk of a bunch of peon women who were thought to have been missing, but they were home now with their families and the matter was dropped.

"It was wise to have paid the women their five pesos, Señora," said Rudolfo. "It must have smoothed their feathers enough to keep them from talking."

She dismissed him for the night and went to bed herself. Once again, she had a dream about Zorro. He and Don Luís were fighting with their swords and then Zorro suddenly had him pinned against the wall.

"Apologize for your insult to my mother, Señor," the masked man said grimly as he held Don Luís to the wall with his sword. Señora Helena was part of the dream this time too. She walked over to Zorro, looked into his hazel eyes and pulled off the mask. Once again she was startled to see the face of her son, Alberto. This time, she sat straight up in the bed as she awoke. She put her hands to her head. Why was she having these dreams? And why did she keep seeing the face of her son? She decided that what she needed was a little sip of brandy to settle her nerves, so she went downstairs and got some.

When she climbed back into bed, she chided herself for being so emotional and made herself lie there until sleep overtook her. The brandy must have helped, for she did not wake again until morning.


	9. Chapter Nine

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Nine**

The next afternoon, Diego drove Rosarita to town so that she could do some shopping. He had hoped to be able to avoid it, but he had made a commitment and could not get out of it. He had no desire to run into Señora Del Fuego, especially now that she had seen Zorro so closely, but Rosarita was not one to be dissuaded easily and so he was here. He pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the tavern and helped Rosarita down. She directed her servant, Emilia, to go and purchase the vegetables that they needed. By previous agreement, Bernardo stayed by the carriage in order to keep an eye out for Señora Del Fuego.

Diego escorted Rosarita over to the merchant's stall just down from the tavern. She began to look over some scarves that were on display. Diego noticed Sergeant Garcia coming towards them accompanied by a ranchero.

"Well, Sergeant Garcia," he greeted the sergeant. He presented Rosarita to him and they exchanged pleasantries. They soon discovered that the sergeant was taking the ranchero to jail for trespassing on the king's land. Rosarita was incensed.

"This is very unfair, sergeant," she declared.

The sergeant agreed with her but said that he was only following orders. And to prove his point, he said that if the Capitán told him to arrest Don Diego as being Zorro, he would have to do it. He and Diego had a good laugh about it. Then the sergeant and the ranchero went on across the plaza.

Diego tried to smooth Rosarita's ruffled feathers by telling her that he had written a letter to the governor asking him to investigate the situation. The tumult resulting from that comment had him wishing that he had not said anything. But he did learn one thing. Rosarita had said that she was shocked by Ortega's revolting act of forcing rancheros to work in the grist mill. She seemed very puzzled by the fact that he had seemed so pleasant a man while on the ship that brought her from Monterey and such a brute now that he was in Los Angeles. It seemed to be one more piece of the puzzle. The trouble was, he did not know where it fit in yet.

Rosarita went back to examining the merchant's goods. Diego made eye contact with Bernardo who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head to indicate that he had seen no sign of Señora Helena. So Diego ran his eyes over the merchant's wares. He saw a sword that interested him. In just a few minutes, he was wishing he had never picked it up, for Rosarita saw him with it and with joy on her face, was soon pushing him to take fencing lessons. He had to play the bookish Diego to the hilt to try and deflect her, which made her emotions run all the higher. The worst part was when she began to ask him about why he had changed so much from when he was a boy. As she went on, he sighed mentally and endured her barrage.

When she had wound down, he said, "I am sorry that you are so displeased with me." It was the only thing he could think of to say.

Rosarita replied, "Not displeased, Diego. Just disappointed." She said it with such pity in her voice that Diego shrank inwardly. It was tough enough to face his father's disapproval, but pity? Pity for the poor Diego who was less a man than he should have been. Somehow pity was harder to take. He was relieved when she shook her head and went to examine a silver comb that had caught her eye.

Bernardo came over and made signs to indicate that Rudolfo was standing in front of the tavern looking at Diego. Diego watched out of the corner of his eye as Rudolfo walked with purpose toward Señora Helena's house and he nodded to Bernardo to show that he had seen. He sent Bernardo back to the carriage. Rosarita was not through shopping and if there was one thing he had learned, you never rush a woman when she is shopping. He had to remain where he was for the moment. If Señora Helena came to him, he would just have to brazen it out and hope for the best.

His attention was distracted when Rosarita called him over to look at something she had found to buy. It was a shawl.

While he was distracted, he did not see Capitán Ortega and Sergeant Garcia coming out of the cuartel on their way to the tavern, but Bernardo did. He saw Ortega casually look over to where Diego and Rosarita were and then come to a complete halt. When Ortega suddenly ran around and ducked down behind the well in the plaza, it caught Bernardo by surprise. As he watched Sergeant Garcia search for and find his commandanté crouching behind the well, he finally figured out that Ortega was hiding from someone and that someone was Rosarita. Diego had had his back to Ortega when he had first looked over their way. It was Rosarita's face that the commandanté had seen.

Ortega ducked away from the sergeant, trying to make sure that Rosarita did not spot him, and made his way across the plaza towards the Magistrado's office. Bernardo was torn for a moment, but then he decided that finding out what had frightened Ortega was more important than watching for Señora Helena. She had not come out of her house as yet, and he knew that Diego was able to handle himself. So as he watched Ortega go into the Magistrado's office he knew he was going to follow.

He slipped past the guard at the foot of the stairs and made his way to the Magistrado's door. What he heard sent chills down his spine. Señorita Rosarita was in grave danger. Capitán Ortega and the Magistrado were planning her death because she could identify Ortega as being an imposter.

When Rudolfo reached Señora Helena's house, he had walked in to find that the señora was entertaining the padre from the church which was next door. From what he could tell, it was just a social visit. Seeing that Rudolfo had something important to tell her, she very adroitly maneuvered the padre into thinking it was time to leave. He even thought it was his own idea. Once he was gone, Rudolfo told her of Diego and the young lady who were shopping in the plaza. Señora Helena called for Contessa to bring her shawl to her and waited impatiently until it was brought. Then she and Rudolfo stepped out of her house only to see the back of Diego's head as the carriage headed out of town and then disappeared down the road toward's Rosarita's house.

Señora Helena was a study in frustration. If only that priest had chosen another time to visit! Diego had driven the carriage right past her front door and she had missed him. She shook her head and went back into the house, just missing poor Bernardo running by on foot as he headed home to warn Diego about Capitán Ortega.

Bernardo had been rather upset to find the carriage gone. He knew that he had to get home as soon as he could, but even so it would be well after dark before he could get there on foot. He could only pray he would not be too late.

Later that evening, Señora Helena decided that she would spend the evening at the tavern. She knew that Don Diego was a frequent visitor and that she might get to see him there. As she and Rudolfo went across the plaza, she was surprised to see Capitán Ortega riding out of the pueblo in civilian clothing. _How curious,_ she thought. She had never seen him out of uniform before. She went on into the tavern leaving Rudolfo posted outside. She wanted to have some warning in case the young man she was looking for happened to arrive.

The innkeeper was very happy to see her and gave her the finest table in her establishment, such as it was. She ordered a glass of wine and settled in to wait. She listened to the conversations around her, but found nothing of interest.

One of the vaqueros started to play a guitar and sing. He was joined by a few others. Señora Helena found the music simple, but compelling in its simplicity. She was enjoying it very much. One of the waitresses began dancing when the music changed to a more lively beat.

In Mexico City, she would not even have been noticed, but here, in this place, she brought the tavern to life. Señora Helena found herself clapping with the others when she had finished the dance.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Zorro raced through the night on Tornado. He was desperately hoping to reach Rosarita before the false Ortega did. Bernardo had arrived at the hacienda after dark and had almost blown his cover while he was trying to convey to Diego what he had learned while standing behind Don Alejandro's back. Diego's father was determined to win the game of drafts they were playing and only Bernardo's quick thinking allowed Diego to lose the game and say good night to his father. When they were finally alone, Bernardo told of what he had overheard at the magistrado's office. Diego had hurried to the secret room to change and Bernardo had run ahead to get Tornado ready. Zorro could hear voices over the wall of Don Domingo's hacienda as he pulled the great horse to a stop. He climbed to the top of the wall and saw that he was late, but not too late. Ortega was trying to throttle Rosarita with the very shawl she had purchased only that afternoon, but she was still alive.

Ortega spun around and saw him as he leaped to the patio pulling his sword. Rosarita slumped to the ground in a faint. The fight was fast and furious.

Ortega slipped by Zorro once and almost put his sword through Rosarita, but Zorro deflected it at the last moment. He then pressed Ortega hard and kept him away from her. At last, he disarmed the imposter and thought he had the upper hand, but Ortega threw a knife at him which plunged into a stool he managed to pick up just in time. As he gave chase, Ortega pulled a trellis down on top of him and by the time he got loose, Ortega was on his horse and gone.

He went to Rosarita who was just coming to herself and helped her up. He could see that she was not hurt. As he picked up her fallen shawl, he kissed her hand and said, "Until we meet again, Señorita." He sometimes found Rosarita a little difficult to be around, but he was very glad that she was safe. He turned and ran out of the patio to mount Tornado and ride in pursuit. He could not see Ortega, but he had a hunch that he would return to the pueblo.

Ortega flew into the pueblo. He pulled up in front of the Magistrado's office. He had to get out of town, but he needed money, and he knew Galindo kept plenty in his desk. He dismissed the guard and ran up the stairs.

Across the plaza, at the tavern entrance, Rudolfo was watching. He found the commandanté's actions puzzling. He watched the silhouettes on the magistrado's window shades as the two men talked. Suddenly Zorro was there, dismounting smoothly as he pulled his horse to a sliding stop. He too ran up the stairs towards the magistrado's office.

Rudolfo quickly turned and went into the tavern. He gained Señora Helena's attention as he motioned to her to come and made the sign of a "Z" with his finger as a pistol shot rang out in the plaza. She got up at once and hurried out into the plaza. Rudolfo pointed to the roof tops.

The commandanté was on the roof struggling with Zorro. They rolled around grappling with each other. Finally, Zorro seemed to gain the upper hand, for he was advancing menacingly on the commandanté who was retreating. Señora Helena had a clear view as to what happened next.

Zorro kept advancing and Ortega kept retreating until he reached the edge of the roof, lost his balance, and fell. Zorro had not touched him.

The soldiers who had also seen what had happened, rushed over to the fallen commandanté. Sergeant Garcia examined him and said that he was dead. But he was soon distracted as a shower of money rained down on them. Zorro had gotten a bag of money from somewhere and was throwing handfuls to the ground. The sergeant and the other soldiers scrambled to pick up the coins.

The magistrado had come down the stairs by now and was crying for the soldiers to shoot Zorro. But the soldiers had their priorities in order and kept on picking up the money. Furious, the magistrado picked up a rifle and fired a shot at Zorro, but missed.

Zorro disappeared over the rooftop into the night.

Señora Helena and Rudolfo returned to her house. What she wouldn't give to know what had been going on between Zorro and the commandanté. Whatever it was had escalated until it had resulted in Ortega's death. She remembered what Zorro had said back there in the winery about forces gathering to try and overthrow the government. Was what she had just seen some part of that? Or was it something else? She was still thinking about it when she retired for the night and fell asleep.

She found herself dreaming again. She saw the flag flying over the cuartel being taken down and another being put in its place. She could not make out the emblem clearly. Suddenly she heard a drum roll and her heart leaped into her throat. She ran to the cuartel gate and saw that a firing squad was about to execute someone. She could only see the prisoner from the back with his hands tied behind him. She put her hand to her mouth in horror as she realized that the prisoner was her son. She would have recognized him anywhere. Heedless of her own safety, she ran to her son determined to save him if she could. When she reached him, she put her hand on his shoulder to turn him around and when he turned, she found she was looking into the masked face of El Zorro.

He said to her, "Señora, you held the fate of California in your hands. I hope you enjoy collecting the money from your wager. If you will excuse me, I have an appointment with these men that cannot wait." He turned away from her.

At her cry of "NOOOOooooooo . . . !" all of her servants rushed into her room.

"Señora! Señora! Are you all right? What is the matter? As she sat up she found that she was shaking and pulled the bedclothes up around her tightly. Then with iron resolve, she got hold of herself and said that she was fine, she had just had a bad dream and sent them away. There was no way she could go back to sleep anytime soon and she was not so sure she wanted to try anyway.

She got out of bed and went and sat in the chair by the window looking out over the plaza. Nothing was stirring. She found herself thinking about her son, Alberto. She had not dreamed about him in a long time. As the years had passed, she had tended to bury her memories under layers of business deals and dispassionate reasoning. She had felt that she had to in order to keep her position among her peers. A woman running a business could not afford to be soft or her rivals would take advantage of her.

She knew all of this and yet tonight her thoughts were of her son. Now that she was awake, she could bring her son's face to her mind and it brought a smile to her lips. How beautiful he looked as a youth and how handsome he would have been as a man. He had been growing tall and he had shoulders that would have been the same width as Zorro's . . . .

She put her hand to her mouth as she wondered where that comparison had come from. Angry with herself for letting Zorro intrude on her thoughts about her son, she decided to try the brandy again. It took longer this time, but she finally fell asleep.


	10. Chapter Ten

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Ten**

In the morning, Señora Helena decided to go to the market place to try and pick up any information she could about what had happened last night. Everyone was talking about the commandanté's death and not surprisingly, no one was sad to see him go. The one thing she could not find out is just what had prompted Zorro to chase Ortega and fight him on the rooftops. And why was he dressed as a civilian? Money was not a factor as Zorro had thrown all of it to the soldiers.

She saw Sergeant Garcia in the plaza. He was looking again at the spot where Ortega had died and he was looking a little lost. She went over to speak to him, but he could shed no more light on what had happened that the others she had spoken to.

To change the subject, she maneuvered the sergeant into speaking about Diego de la Vega. The sergeant had known him a long time and was in a position to tell her quite a lot. They had been speaking for only a little while; however, when Don Domingo Cortez drove up in a carriage with Rosarita beside him.

She called out, "Sergeant Garcia! Thank heaven you are here! Please, I must tell you something very important."

Sergeant Garcia walked over to her carriage. Señora Helena followed behind. She might as well find out what had the señorita so agitated. "Greetings Don Domingo. And to you Señorita. Now how may I help you?"

"Oh, Sergeant. Last night a man came to my uncle's house and tried to kill me! If it had not been for Zorro who came to my rescue, he would have succeeded." Her uncle wholeheartedly agreed.

"You say a man tried to kill you? Do you know who he was, Señorita?"

"Si. He was Señor Sancho Fernandez."

"Fernandez. Sancho Fernandez. I know of no one in Los Angeles by that name," mused the sergeant, almost to himself.

"He was the only other passenger on the ship with Capitán Ortega and myself when we sailed down from Monterey. I got off at Santa Barbara and the two of them continued on."

Suddenly, Señora Helena had a flash of insight. She stepped forward. "Please excuse me, señorita, but I could not help overhearing your story. I would like to ask you a question. What was Señor Fernandez wearing when he came to your hacienda last night?"

Rosarita wondered who this woman was who was asking the question, but saw no harm in answering it. She described his clothing as well as she could. Sergeant Garcia blurted out, "But that is exactly what Capitán Ortega was wearing when he died last night! The coat, the shirt, the trousers, all just as the señorita described them!"

Señora Helena crossed her arms and said, "Then I would say that Capitán Ortega and Señor Fernandez were one and the same man."

Sergeant Garcia was slow. "The same man? How can that be?"

Rosarita was a little quicker. "But what happened to the real Capitán Ortega?"

"Señorita, I would say that he never made it to Los Angeles and Señor Fernandez took his place," said Señora Helena.

"You mean the real Capitán Ortega . . . ." she trailed off.

"Yes. He most likely has been killed."

Rosarita put her hand to her mouth, shocked. She thought for a moment then said, "That would explain why Capitán Ortega was so different from the man I knew on the ship. I just knew that the real Capitán Ortega would not have been such a brute. He was a very kind and honorable man."

"Fernandez must have seen you here in the pueblo yesterday," said Señora Helena. "He knew that you could identify him and show him to be an imposter. That is why he tried to kill you." The pieces of last night's puzzle were falling into place.

"We must inform the Magistrado at once," declared Sergeant Garcia. "Señorita, you and your uncle will come with me now and we will make our report." He helped Rosarita down from the carriage and they went up to Galindo's office.

Señora Helena watched until they entered, then made her way back to her house. So Zorro's actions were explained. He had somehow found out that Fernandez was going to kill Rosarita and had managed to stop him. When Fernandez fled back to the pueblo, Zorro had followed. And now Fernandez was dead.

Again, she thought about the conspiracy that Zorro had spoken of back in the winery. She had heard the stories of how the commandanté prior to Ortega had been assassinated and now to find that the real Ortega had been killed and replaced . . . .

Los Angeles was suddenly a much more dangerous place than she had imagined. She had better get on with her mission and get out of here and back to Mexico City as soon as she could. She did not want to get caught up in any conspiracies.

When she returned to her house, she found a packet of letters from Mexico City. Contessa told her that if she had any replies to make that she would have to send them this afternoon as the ship would be leaving tonight. There would not be another one for a week or more. Sighing, because this would keep her from further explorations of last night's events, Señora Helena sat down and began going over the letters. It was late afternoon before she finished. Rudolfo just had time to make the post before it left for San Pedro.

 **-Z-Z-Z-**

Early in the same afternoon, while Señora Helena was busy with her correspondence, Diego came to see Rosarita off. She was going by coach to San Juan Capistrano for a visit before going back to Monterey. But before she left, she tried one more time.

"Diego, I do hope that you will take yourself in hand and try to improve yourself," she said fervently. When he asked innocently, "In what way?" she said with feeling, "In so many ways!"

Diego, trying to humor her, said, "Would it help if I modeled myself after this outlaw, Zorro?"

"Oh," she crooned. "If you only could!"

"You are quite positive aren't you?" he asked.

"He is magnificent." she said with a heartfelt sigh. "Diego if you can possibly meet him, do so. Maybe he could teach you some of the things he knows and lives by. Believe me, as an old friend, it would help you." She said it with such utter and innocent conviction that Diego had to watch that his amusement did not cause him to laugh. He managed a self-depreciating shrug. He helped Rosarita into the carriage, and it pulled out on its way to Capistrano.

He walked over to where Bernardo was holding the horses and said. "Bernardo, were you ever jealous of yourself?" Bernardo shook his head. "I'm afraid this fellow, Zorro, has won my childhood sweetheart," he said looking after the carriage. Then he and Bernardo laughed at the irony of such a statement.

Sergeant Garcia was coming across the plaza and Diego was feeling in an expansive mood now that Rosarita was on her way. He invited the sergeant into the tavern for some wine. Besides, he had not been able to talk to the sergeant for a few days and he needed to see what things of interest that he could tell him. Fernandez and the Magistrado had been in this thing together and Diego still had the mystery of the eagle feathers to solve. Bernardo signaled that he would stay outside to watch for Señora Helena. Diego nodded. As he primed the pump so to speak, he found out that Señora Helena had been instrumental in helping them to figure out that Fernandez had killed the real Ortega and had taken his place. It did not give him any comfort to know that she was getting involved with the participants in the conspiracy. Even in such a small way as this. She was a very intelligent woman. He had no doubt that if she remained much longer in Los Angeles, that she would be in a position to cause him and by default, Zorro a lot of trouble. She had to be convinced to go back to Mexico City, but how?

His thoughts were interrupted when Sergeant Garcia said, "Don Diego, Señora Del Fuego was asking questions about you this morning."

He remained outwardly calm as he said, "Oh? What did she want to know?"

"She wanted to know how often you came to the pueblo and what you did while you were here."

"And what did you tell her?" Diego was apprehensive to say the least. Sergeant Garcia was known to innocently say the wrong things at the right time.

"Oh, I told her that you were the best judge of wine in all of Los Angeles, next to myself of course, and that you came here often to sample the wine at the tavern. I also mentioned that you composed songs that you sing to the señoritas. She said that she was going to make every effort to meet such a talented young man such as yourself. That is when Señorita Cortez came with her story about the false commandanté. The rest you know."

Sergeant Garcia poured himself another glass of wine while Diego tried not to show his apprehension. This woman was positively becoming a real problem.

Bernardo watched as Rudolfo gave a package to the courier that would be taking the mail to the ship at San Pedro. Rudolfo scanned the plaza and saw Bernardo standing outside of the tavern. He began walking towards Señora Helena's house, then stopped to look at Bernardo again. When he started towards the house again, it was with a purpose.

Bernardo stepped inside the tavern and attracted Diego's attention. He made the sign for Señora Helena and then pointed to his watch as Sergeant Garcia had turned to see what was going on.

"Sergeant, Bernardo has just reminded me that I had better return to the hacienda. I have some things I need to do. You will excuse me?"

"Si, Don Diego. Thank you for the wine and the company. Have a pleasant trip home," said the sergeant. He waved happily at Bernardo who waved back smiling.

Once outside, Bernardo made it clear that he thought the señora would probably be making an attempt to meet Diego if they did not leave quickly. Diego agreed. He knew that the señora had her servant, Rudolfo, set to watch for him and that he had only avoided her by the narrowest of margins in the past. And with her probing the Sergeant this morning about Diego . . . .

They mounted their horses and cantered out of town.

Señor Helena appeared on her doorstep just in time to see the backs of Diego and his servant as they rode out of town. They were riding at a leisurely pace, not like someone who thought they were being stalked. _Coincidence again,_ she thought. Or was it? Well, she'd had enough. She was now very determined to meet the son of Don Alejandro.

"Rudolfo," she said. "Go and bring the carriage around. We are going to pay an unexpected visit to Don Alejandro de la Vega. If I cannot meet Don Diego here in the pueblo, then I will beard him in his own den. I will go and change, then we will leave."

As they were riding home, Bernardo began to sign to Diego. Diego said, "I agree. Señora Del Fuego is going to be very frustrated when she misses us again. I would not put it past her to make an unannounced visit this evening, in order that she might make my acquaintance. We cannot let that happen."

When Bernardo shrugged his shoulders to ask what they would do about it, Diego said, "I tell you what we are going to do. You will ride up to the top of the hill there and watch. If you see the señora coming, you can come and warn me. That should give us about fifteen minutes before she arrives at the house. I will tell my father that we are going to Padre Benedetto's for a chess rematch. She cannot possibly suspect that we ran out on her, because we will have left well before anyone at the hacienda knew she was coming."

Bernardo thought it was a good idea and waved as he left the road and went up the hill to watch for the señora.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Eleven**

Bernardo was growing bored. He had his leg crooked over the saddle of his horse and was leaned forward on his arm. He yawned and almost fell off his horse when it decided to shift under him. Regaining his balance he looked down the road and saw the señora's carriage coming along the road at a good clip. They had been right. He wheeled his horse and rode quickly to the hacienda. He found Diego in his room. He had changed clothes and there were two bags packed.

"She is coming?" asked Diego. Bernardo nodded yes.

"How close is she?" Bernardo signaled fifteen. "Fifteen minutes? Good. Then let us go. Father is down in the sala and I will let him know that we are going while you go and get my horse. We will leave immediately." Bernardo picked up the bags and they went down the stairs.

Diego entered the house. His father was seated by the fire place reading. "Father. I just wanted to let you know that I am going to Padre Benedetto's again. He has asked for a rematch. He thinks he has a new strategy that he would like to try."

"I wish him good fortune," said Don Alejandro. "I have better luck against you in a game of drafts."

"Yes, you beat me only last night as I recall. Oh, by the way, we will be staying overnight again. You know how Padre Benedetto is. But this time, we are taking our bags with us. Until tomorrow, Father," said Diego as he waved at his father and went out the door. Soon he and Bernardo were down the road and out of sight of the hacienda. They circled around and came into the secret cave.

Leaving their horses in the company of Tornado, they made their way up the tunnel and into the secret passages. By the time they made it to the wall behind the sala, Señora Helena was being announced. Don Alejandro was surprised, but handled it smoothly as a gentleman should.

"Señora Del Fuego. How delightful to see you again. Please have a seat. Jose, bring some wine." He made sure the señora was comfortable. "Now, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"It was such a pleasant afternoon that I decided to go for a drive out in the country and I remembered how much I enjoyed the trip to your hacienda and decided to come this way. When I saw your place I could not pass by without paying my respects. You were such a delightful host the other night. And I have not had the pleasure to seeing you at the pueblo since then. Nor have I had the opportunity to meet your son, Don Diego. Is he here by chance?" She mentally held her breath.

"I am sorry, but no," said Don Alejandro. "He left about fifteen minutes ago to return to Padre Benedetto's for a rematch in chess. He plans to be gone until tomorrow." Señora Helena tried to keep her face a study in calmness, but she was seething inside. Gone again! There was something going on here that she did not like. But, . . . he left so long ago. He could not possibly have known she was coming, so was it coincidence once again?

Seeing the look on Señora Helena's face, Don Alejandro tried to excuse his son, "My apologies, Señora Del Fuego. My son is a little . . . eccentric and prone to do impulsive things. I am sure he will be very sorry to find that he missed the opportunity to make your acquaintance."

"That is quite all right, Don Alejandro," she said regaining control. "Perhaps we will meet at another time." She would find some way to make sure of that.

Don Alejandro changed the subject by saying, "My work here at the rancho keeps me quite busy, I'm afraid, and I do not get to socialize as much as I would like. Finding time to go to Los Angeles is difficult, especially at this time of the year. There are so many details to attend to and I have to be available to take care of them."

"Does your son, Diego, not help you with the rancho?" At Don Alejandro's look of chagrin, Señora Helena said, "Forgive me. I did not mean to bring up a delicate subject."

"No offense taken, Señora Del Fuego. It is just that my son has not taken an interest in the affairs of the rancho. Since his return from Spain, he has been more interested in his poetry and music. He is just not the same son that I sent off to get an education. This," and he made a sweeping gesture, " is his inheritance. I and my father and his father have worked hard to make it what it is today. I keep hoping that someday his bloodline will tell and Diego will mature enough to take up his responsibilities here."

He said this with such an air of melancholy that Señora Helena, to her surprise, felt her heart go out to him.

Behind the wall, Diego found that he was swallowing hard against his own emotions. "Oh, my Father," he thought. "If I could only tell you . . ."

Señora Helena leaned forward and spoke gently to the elder don. "At least, you have a son to pin your hopes and dreams upon, Don Alejandro. Be thankful for that." To her own surprise, she continued, "I lost my son when he was just a youth, and I never got to see him mature into manhood. Do not lose faith in your son while he yet lives."

Don Alejandro looked at Señora Del Fuego intently. He knew what it was to lose a wife. But this woman had lost both a husband and a son, leaving her alone in the world. She was right, he still had his son, and nothing was more important than that. "Señora, your insight is most welcome. I needed to hear that. It is just that it is sometimes hard to accept Diego for what he is and not try to mold him into something he is not."

Señora Helena laughed softly to herself. When Don Alejandro looked at her like she had lost her mind, she said, "What you just said reminded me of what my husband once said of our son, Alberto. He said that Alberto's heart was too big to be put in a mold of our own making." She paused after that and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Señora, if it is not an imposition, would you tell me of your son?" asked Don Alejandro. Somehow he sensed that she needed to be able to talk about him to someone.

Señora Helena's smile died away. How dare he ask such a personal question? But then she realized that he was sincere in his request. This was not Mexico City, and Don Alejandro was not seeking out her weaknesses in order to gain an advantage. He was giving her the opportunity to talk about her son, but only if she wanted to. And she found that she did want to.

"Alberto was only seventeen when he died," she began. But even at that young age he already had a maturity about him beyond his years. He was the natural leader among his peers, but he never took advantage of them. He had a sweet, honest spirit and an inner strength that gave him confidence and poise. One minute he could be racing his horse with the exuberance of youth, and next, you could introduce him to the commandanté in charge of the military for all Mexico and he would greet him with all the proper deference and respect. Alberto excelled in his studies and had the makings of a good swordsman. He was very athletic."

She smiled again as she continued, "He was mischievous and enjoyed playing pranks, though. Sometimes even on his own father, but he was careful not to be meanspirited. Most boys his age were self-centered as they were coming into their manhood, but not Alberto. He had a strong sense of personal honor and was ready to defend himself and anyone else that he thought had been harmed or defamed in any way. He was always looking out for others. Many is the time he came to me to ask for my help when he had found someone in need, no matter what their station in life, when it was more than he could handle alone. You will excuse me if I speak with a mother's heart, but I took great pride in the compassionate soul of my son. I was proud of him for thinking of others before himself. I do not know about you, Don Alejandro, but I think as parents, we all search our children to see if some part of ourselves shows through. I like to think that I saw myself in my son. I believe I can say that no one met my son without being changed for the better."

Señora Helena pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. This time it was not a sham, this time it was real. "But the one thing that means the most to me was that even as I loved him, he loved me and was not afraid to show it even in front of his friends who thought that they were beyond such childish things. That means a great deal to a mother." Then she broke down. She could not help it.

"Oh, Don Alejandro, I miss my son!" she sobbed. "I would give anything to have him back." She cried into her handkerchief.

Don Alejandro found his throat constricted. He went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders until she nodded her head that she would be all right. He cleared his throat gently. "Señora Del Fuego, we never stop missing our loved ones who have passed on. Nor should we. I lost my wife whom I loved dearly many years ago, but I miss her just as much today as ever. You and your son shared something very special. Your story has touched me deeply. It seems that our sons were a great deal alike as boys. My son Diego had those same qualities of inner strength, honor and compassion. His mother, bless her soul, gave that to him. I know that somewhere, down deep inside, he still has those qualities. I only hope that someday he will realize that for himself and become the man I know he can be."

Behind the wall, in the secret passage, Bernardo put his hand on Diego's shoulder. He knew how hard it was for his young master to hear his father speak so.

Don Alejandro continued, "I do wish that I could have had the honor to meet Alberto."

"As I would like to have the honor to meet your son, Diego," said Señora Helena regaining her composure. "Please let him know how much I regret not being able to meet the son of Don Alejandro de la Vega." She sniffed a little and finished dabbing at her eyes.

" Please, Señor, I must go." She put her hand on Don Alejandro's arm. "Do not tell anyone of this conversation." Don Alejandro nodded. She continued, as she rose from her seat, "I do not know what came over me to let my emotions get the better of me like that. I have imposed on you long enough. Thank you for your hospitality, Don Alejandro."

Don Alejandro escorted Señora Helena out to her carriage. Diego closed the peep hole in the wall and turned to Bernardo.

"The señora, for all her other attributes, has one redeeming characteristic."

As Bernardo looked questioningly, Diego continued, "She has a mother's love for her son." Bernardo nodded in agreement. He too had found his eyes blurring with tears while she and Don Alejandro spoke. He signed that he thought that Señora Helena had, in describing her son, described a lot of the characteristics of Diego himself.

Diego looked at Bernardo for a moment. At first he was going to deny it, but then he had another thought. "All right. But was the señora's emotion genuine? Are we sure she is not just playing on my father's own emotions for some reason of her own?" Bernardo seemed to think it over. Then he indicated that he thought she was telling the truth.

"I think so too, Bernardo. I just wanted to see if you had the same reaction. Let us go back to the cave. I have some thinking to do."

As they walked through the tunnel, Diego thought about Señora Helena. From his own encounter with her as Zorro, he knew that she could be hard and calculating. But today he had seen the softer side of her. She had a mother's love and pride in her son. Pride. That was the key. Not the pride that she had in her son, but the pride her son would have had in her. On this point would turn the whole fate of Zorro. If he could not get Señora Del Fuego to return to Mexico City, then Zorro's time on this earth was short, for she would not give up until she got what she wanted: Zorro's identity. He could not be effective in searching out the leaders of the eagle feather conspiracy as long as he was looking over his shoulder for her. At the very least, she could cause him to make a fatal mistake which would get him killed, or she would discover his identity and get him hanged.

He could not bring himself to even think of threatening her or harming her in any way in order to send her back to Mexico City as he would have done for a man. With a man, many things could be settled at the point of a sword. But with a woman . . . no. He shook his head. He was too much his father's son for that. He was going to bring things to a head tonight with an appeal to her heart. It was the only thing he could do.

His mind made up, he went up to the secret room behind his bedroom where he kept pen and paper. Under the light of the lantern he wrote a note to Señora Helena and signed it Zorro. He went back down and met Bernardo.

"My friend, I must ask you to do something. Take this note and see that Señora Del Fuego gets it, but do not let her see you deliver it. She must not know that you are involved or she will have the last piece of the puzzle that will convince her that I am Zorro. Then come back here to the cave. We are supposed to be at Padre Benedetto's, remember?"

Bernardo looked a question. Diego put his hand on Bernardo's shoulder.

"Tonight will decide Zorro's fate, Bernardo. I think I have found a way to the Señora's heart, but I cannot be absolutely sure. All I know is things cannot go on as they are. I must convince her to return to Mexico City. If she does not, it will be just a matter of time before she finally meets me as Diego and I have no doubt that she will recognize me. She got a very good look at Zorro in the old winery and I saw her studying him very closely. She saw the details that others miss when Zorro appears."

Bernardo looked worried and frightened for the life of his master. Diego's heart was full too. "Yes, Bernardo, I understand," he said quietly. Sometimes words were not necessary.

The sun was setting by the time Bernardo reached the pueblo. He tied his horse out of sight behind the church and made his way stealthily towards the plaza. Diego was entrusting him to deliver the message from Zorro without getting caught. He peered around the corner and saw Bonita and Contessa walking towards Señora Helena's house. They were talking and laughing together and carrying a large basket of fruit between them.

As they passed by him, he stepped out and quietly fell in behind them. Quickly, he dropped the note in the basket and then ducked away back out of sight. He watched as the two women went into the house, then he went to look into the kitchen window. Contessa was just saying, "Look, Bonita. There is a note in our basket. See? It comes from El Zorro! I must take this to Señora Del Fuego at once."

She ran quickly out of the room leaving Bonita standing with her mouth open. Bernardo smiled. In just a few minutes, he was riding back to the cave where Diego was waiting.

Señora Helena was sitting in her chair by the window when Contessa came in with the note. She was trying to figure out why she had poured out her heart to Don Alejandro this afternoon. It was not like her to lose control like that, especially concerning her private life. Perhaps it was the dreams. The dreams she had been having of Alberto . . . and Zorro. She took the note and dismissed Contessa. She wanted to be alone.

The note was addressed to her in a concise, masculine script. She opened the note and read, "Señora Del Fuego, meet me at the old winery tonight at ten o'clock. We have many things to discuss. You may have your servant accompany you there, but you must be alone when we talk." It was signed, "Zorro."

She let the hand holding the note fall into her lap. So, Zorro was asking her for a meeting. She must be getting even closer to him than she had imagined. Señora Helena experienced a feeling of satisfaction that pushed her other problem aside. Her emotions were of no consequence now that she was going to have Zorro within her grasp.

She did feel a little misgiving about meeting Zorro alone, without Rudolfo for protection. After all, Zorro had shown that he was not above wounding people or causing them to die when he thought it necessary. But she was going to carry a concealed pistol with which to defend herself and she thought it would do nicely to bend him to her will. She would know Zorro's identity before this night was done. She smiled as she thought of returning to Mexico City, Zorro's sword and mask in hand, to lay them on the table in front of Don Luís and all the rest.

She was sure that Don Luís had been making himself heard on the likelihood of Señora Helena being able to do what he had not. She rather thought that Don Luís might soon find Mexico City an embarrassing place, and she indulged herself with the idea that he might be forced to move to some foreign land where they had never heard of Zorro. Her heart much lighter than it had been a few minutes ago, Señora Helena ordered supper to be brought to her.

"So Señora Del Fuego received her message from Zorro?" said Diego. "Good. Sit down and rest yourself. I raided the kitchen and brought some food and wine for our supper. No, you just sit there. I will handle it." Bernardo found it awkward to be waited upon by his master. It had been his job, ever since he had met Diego in Spain, to wait upon him. Not the other way around. But, as he watched Diego, their eyes met once or twice and Bernardo knew what was motivating his young master. Diego knew that tonight might be the last night he would be a free man. If things did not work out with Señora Del Fuego, Zorro would be revealed as being Diego de la Vega. For himself, Diego asked nothing; he had only done what he had to in the cause of justice. But for his servant and closest friend, Zorro's capture meant imprisonment or death for Bernardo as well because he was an accomplice.

Bernardo's heart was warmed by his master's concern and he put out his hand to stop Diego's preparations. When Diego looked up, Bernardo began to sign. When he was through, tears were brimming in both of their eyes.

Diego reached over and gripped Bernardo's shoulder tightly. "No one could ask for a better ally or a closer friend than you have been to me, Bernardo. It is I who should be thanking you for all you have done."

Bernardo returned the grip firmly and then got up to finish preparing supper. They ate in companionable silence.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Twelve**

A little before ten o'clock, Rudolfo brought two horses around in front of Señora Helena's house. He was not at all happy. He felt that Señora Helena was taking too great a risk to be meeting Zorro alone. He realized that he had not been much help to her the last time, but he had been caught off guard. Señora Helena was insistent and he had to bow to her wishes, but he did not have to like it. Soon they were riding along in the darkness.

Señora Helena found herself growing tense with anticipation. So much was at stake tonight. She kept her hand on the pistol concealed in a pocket of her riding skirt. She had Rudolfo take special care in its priming and loading. She wanted nothing to go wrong because she would only have one chance and if she missed it . . . .

The old winery appeared in the darkness off to their right. "All right, Rudolfo, you may go," she said.

Rudolfo had to try one last time. "Please, Señora. Do not do this. Let us go back to the pueblo."

Señora Helena said in her most imperious tones, "Rudolfo, I told you I am going through with this. Do not ask again. Now go to the pueblo. That is an order."

Rudolfo bowed his head and turned his horse around and disappeared into the night. Señora Helena watched until she could not see him anymore, then she rode the rest of the way to the winery.

Zorro, on Tornado, was watching from the concealment of some nearby trees. He also watched Rudolfo disappear down the road. But since he had some small experience with a servant who was loyal to a fault, he remained where he was. Sure enough, he saw Rudolfo riding slowly and quietly back along the road. Smiling, he brought Tornado silently along beside Rudolfo's horse.

Rudolfo suddenly felt the point of a sword between his shoulder blades. In a quiet voice, Zorro said, "I see you do not always obey your mistress. But that is your misfortune, señor. If you please, you will put your hands behind your back."

Soon Rudolfo, still on his horse, was tied up and gagged. Zorro took Rudolfo down the road a little distance and slapped his horse on the rump sending it towards Los Angeles.

Señora Helena was growing impatient. She had entered the darkened winery, all her senses alerted. But nothing happened. She decided to light some of the candles that were left from the last time she was here. She did so and as she turned around, she was startled to see Zorro standing there.

She had not heard him come in. Her heart beat a little more quickly than she would have liked. Unbidden, the thought came to her of how handsome he was even behind the mask, dressed all in black, with his cape flowing around him.

"Buenos noches, Señora," said Zorro smiling and executing a little bow. "So good of you to join me tonight."

"Señor Zorro," she acknowledged. She kept her hand concealed in the folds of her riding skirt, close to the pistol. She was not afraid exactly, but she knew of what Zorro was capable of doing.

Zorro seemed to study her for a moment, then he said, "Señora, the time has come to drop your pretense. I know why you have come to Los Angeles. Don Luís Santana was not successful in winning his wager that he would see the face behind the mask and now you are here to try your skills at doing the same."

At the señora's innocent look, Zorro smiled and said, "Come now. Simply stated, you wish to learn my identity to settle a wager do you not?" He teased her rather condescendingly, " Do not be shy. There is no one here but the two of us."

Señora Helena raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that is why I have come," she admitted.

"Excellent. Now we have a basis of truth from which to begin," said Zorro. "So you want to know who I am?" Señora Helena nodded. "But, you already know," he said. He made it a statement.

Señora Helena just looked at him. What did he mean that she already knew?

"You have been asking many questions around the pueblo ever since you arrived. The people you spoke to, did they not tell you who I am?"

"Well of course not," said the señora. "If they did, you would not be standing there a free man."

"But Señora, they did tell you who I am if you had but listened. Oh, they did not give you a name to go with the face behind the mask, but they did tell you."

"I do not know what you mean, Señor," she said.

"For instance, what did our esteemed Sergeant Garcia have to say about me?"

She did not know where Zorro was going with this, but she would play his game and see where it led. So she said, "He said that whenever there was an offense against the people; whenever someone had been wronged, Zorro would come. He was glad when you freed Barbarosa."

"What else?"

"He said that you had never harmed one of the people. That you were their protector."

"I believe that you questioned the guests at Don Alejandro's dinner several night's ago. What did they say of me?"

"Don Alejandro said that you saved his life. He was of the opinion that the pueblo was better off since you came, despite your roguish ways. Señorita Elena also said that you saved her father's life from the corrupt commandanté Monastario when he was accused of treason. All of the guests agreed that you were a rogue and had disrupted the government officials, but most thought you were to be commended and only one or two thought that you needed to be caught and punished. But they all agreed that you had your own code of honor and I think that most of them secretly admired you whether they would admit it openly or not."

"Very well," said Zorro. "And what of the children of the pueblo?"

"Children? I have not spoken to any children."

"But you have seen them in the plaza."

"Yes, they were playing the fox and the coyote. May I assume that you are the fox?" Zorro bowed. She continued, "I would say that the children would like to grow up to be like you."

"It is very flattering, I must say," said Zorro with a twinkle in his eye. Then he turned serious again as he said, "The peons and the common people, what have they to say about me?"

"They see you as their black angel, sent from God, to be their protector."

"And you doubt them." Again Zorro made it a statement.

"Yes, I do. No man puts his life on the line for the likes of them unless there is something to be gained. I know of what I speak . In Mexico City, I make my living by seeing through to underlying motivations in order to stay one step ahead of my competition. I have found that money or power is the root from which all actions spring. You, Señor, can be no different."

Zorro said nothing for a long moment. He just looked at her. Señora Helena found that look to be unsettling. He had not reacted the way she thought he would with explanations or denials. It was as though he was opening himself to her and she did not know how to read him. She had to admit that she had never in her life met anyone like this Zorro. But in the back of her mind a nagging thought came that said, "Yes, you have." She tried to ignore it.

At last, Zorro spoke again. "And now if you please, what did the mothers and grandmothers say of me whom you had imprisoned here?" he said indicating the winery.

Señora Helena found herself reluctant to speak for reasons she could not understand. "They . . . also see you as their protector. They said that you believe in justice for all and that you ask nothing for yourself. Their faith in you was unshakable."

"And?" That one word hung on the air.

Señora Helena felt herself growing angry. He was going to make her say it. She lifted her chin. Very well, she would. "They all said that they would be proud to have a son like El Zorro. They said that they . . . loved you."

Satisfied, Zorro said quietly, "Well there you have it. That is who I am, Señora."

Señora Helena found that she was holding her breath and she did not know why. She could only look at Zorro, not sure of what to do next. Finally she shook herself mentally. _Enough of this,_ she thought to herself. _I will not let this man distract me from my purpose._ Out loud she said, "But I still do not know your name." She would not back down.

"Is that so important?" said Zorro.

"Yes. To win the wager, I must learn your true identity. I cannot go back to Mexico City without that. Oh, and your mask, of course. It is to be my proof. Without that and your sword I cannot win the wager and my position among my peers would be compromised."

Zorro cocked his head slightly to one side. "And this . . . position is more important to you than anything else?"

"Without it I am nothing. I cannot appear to be weak."

"And what of your conscience, Señora? Could you live with your conscience knowing that were I exposed, there would be no one here to help my people? Knowing that corrupt officials could tax and starve people merely to further their own plans? We have already seen that whoever these men are that I seek, they are willing to kill the innocent. You know yourself that the last two commandantés were killed because they were men of honor who could not be bought. Fernandez, whom you met, killed one of them. He tried to kill Señorita Cortez merely because she could identify him as an imposter. Had you earlier gotten your wish to learn my identity, Señorita Cortez would now be lying cold in her grave."

Zorro held out his hands in appeal. "Could you live knowing that you sentenced me to death, preventing me from trying to stop these men, trying to stop the pain and suffering that must follow should they succeed, merely to win a wager to keep your social position?"

Señora Helena did not know what to say. She was still determined to get what she wanted, but how compelling this man was! But she was used to dealing with men who were persuasive. Her ability to handle them was why she was so successful. She would not let herself be dissuaded. She pulled the pistol from where it was hidden in her pocket.

Zorro's shoulders fell a little. "You disappoint me, Señora. You continue to put your selfish interests above the good of the people." He dropped his eyes and would not meet hers.

His voice went right through her. Señora Helena somehow felt ashamed, and the pistol did waver a little. But she took a deep breath and said, "You will take off your mask now, Señor Zorro." She cocked the pistol. Zorro looked back into her eyes. He searched them in the candle light. Despite her bravado, he could see what he was looking for in her eyes.

Here was the pivotal moment he knew had to come. He held up his hand and said, "One more moment, please. If, after I am finished, you have not changed your mind, I will not stop you." With lightening swiftness, he used his whip to pull the pistol from her hand without even touching her skin. The pistol sailed through the air to land in his hand. He uncocked it and tucked it into his banda.

Afraid, Señora Helena, started backing away. She did not know what to expect now.

"Wait," Zorro said, holding up his hand, his voice soft. "I meant what I said, Señora. If you do not change your mind when I am through, I will not stop you from removing the mask. I cannot continue to go on with what I feel I must do if I must continually look over my shoulder for you. The danger you pose to me is as great as any I have faced. So please listen to what I have to say."

He knew he was taking a terrible risk with what he was about to say, but no more so than leaving Señora Helena free to pursue him. He held out his hands to show that he meant her no harm. He admired the way she regained her composure and stood her ground.

"All right, Señor Zorro. I will listen," she said.

Zorro breathed a silent prayer and began. "I understand that you once had a son." Zorro saw the señora start at that statement. She had asked Don Alejandro not to speak of her son to anyone. He continued, "You said that he had a sweet, honest spirit and a strong sense of personal honor. He had an inner strength that was only beginning to bud into manhood when he was taken from you. He was always ready to protect and defend those he thought had been wronged. His willingness to help people gave you great pleasure because you thought you could see some of yourself in him. You spoke of how you loved him with all of a mother's heart and how he returned that love."

"How do you know these things?" Señora Helena asked softly.

"I have . . . ways," Zorro said with a little smile. "But that is not important now. What is important is that you also spoke of your great pride in the compassionate soul of your son. You were proud of him for thinking of others before himself. I must ask you, what would your son think of you now, knowing what you have become in the years since his death? Would Alberto be proud of his mother?"

Señora Helena was suddenly hit in her heart by Zorro's words. Her son. She had never considered what her son might have thought about her now. She herself had not been proud of some of the things she had done in her life to get ahead, but she had convinced herself that they had been necessary to achieve her goals. She turned partly away from Zorro, unable to face him as she wondered, would Alberto have been ashamed of her?

Zorro could see the emotions playing across Señora Helena's face. He knew he had struck a cord with her. He continued. "Señora, my own mother died when I was but a boy. But I take pride in knowing what kind of woman she was. She loved my father and myself. She reached out to the people around her; to anyone in need, helping where she could even though she was not strong physically. She loved people. Strength, honor, and a strong sense of duty I received from my father, but love and compassion was given to me by my mother. Love was her strength. So you see, Señora, I come by my love and compassion for the people of this pueblo honestly. Just as your son, Alberto, received his inner strength and ability to love from you."

Señora Helena put trembling fingers to her lips as she listened to Zorro's words. "I believe that if your son were here, he would agree with me. I believe that he would stand beside me in what I do because he would hold justice in the same high regard and because he had a mother who would be proud of him for taking a stand for what is right. I know that your son had a compassion for the people around him, with a maturity far beyond his years. I have to believe that you, Señora, had a great deal to do with that. That he must have seen the example of compassion that you set before him. But, I ask you, where is your compassion now?"

He paused. Then softly, "Did it die with Alberto?" He saw Señora Helena start, her eyes growing large. "Your pride in your son is commendable, but if you let compassion die with him, what legacy has he left to him? Señora, when you consider your son and his love for you, can you find it within yourself to do what is right, knowing that he would be proud of you?"

He paused, watching her. Holding his hands out to her, palms up, he said, "That is all, Señora. My life is in your hands." He dropped his hands to his sides and stood quietly. He had done all that he could. He could only wait and see what final effect his words would have.

Señora Helena looked at the silent man in black. No one had spoken to her with such depth since her husband had died those long years ago. The words of Zorro were swirling about her. She thought about her son. She thought about her life in Mexico City. She thought about the dreams. . . the dreams of her son . . . and Zorro.

Finally, it all came together for her. She understood Zorro and she understood him from her heart. Zorro was the kind of man her son would have grown up to be like. A man of courage and honor, strength and compassion, shaped by a mother's love. She looked at Zorro in a new light. Her son could have been the one looking back at her through that mask. She felt a change sweep over her soul and the tears came.

As she wept, Zorro went up to her and enfolded her in his arms. She leaned on his chest, crying softly. After a time, when she was able to stop, she moved back in Zorro's arms a little so that she could look up into his face. He looked back not asking anything for himself. Gently, he used his gloved hand to wipe away the last tears from her cheeks, a gentle smile on his face. He could see a difference in the way she looked at him.

"Señor Zorro," she began in a tremulous voice that grew stronger as she spoke. "I do know who you are. You are the man my son would have become. You are right. If he were here, Alberto would be standing at your side to defend and protect the people. He would not understand nor approve of what I have become over the years: ruthless, demanding, hard. I had buried my own compassion and ability to love in the graves of my son and my husband. Forgive me Señor, I have judged you wrongly for I know now that there are men who can be selfless; putting the welfare of others before themselves. You are such a man and, forgive me if I speak with a mother's love, my son was another. You both share the same soul of compassion. A compassion which you have shown to me, undeserved though it was." Zorro smiled. "You are a most extraordinary man," she said.

Zorro said gently, "I have heard it said."

She continued. "My son never had a brother while he was alive, but I believe that he does now. A kindred spirit; a brother in honor, love, and compassion." She looked down, suddenly shy. Taking a deep breath she said, still not meeting his eyes, "Señor Zorro, will you, despite all that I have done, permit me to think of you as son of mine, brother in spirit to Alberto?"

She looked up. "I know I can never take your own mother's place, for I hear the love you bear for her in your voice, but as a mother, I can express to you the pride I know she would feel were she here now. You are a man, well grown. A man of honor. A man who puts the needs of others before himself. I can see the love and care that she gave to you while she was able shining in your eyes."

"The honor would be mine, Señora," said Zorro gently and he leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead, as a son would kiss his mother. While he would never let anyone replace his mother, he did not think she would mind if he let this woman who stood in his arms share him as a son.

Tears threatened to spill down Señora Helena's cheeks again. "Ah, ah, ah. None of that now . . . Mother Helena," he said as he stepped back, releasing her.

She smiled warmly and sniffed a little, dabbing at her eyes while trying to regain her composure.

Once she had, Señora Helena had something more to say to Zorro. "I can never express my gratitude to you for bringing me back to myself. Back to the woman I was those long years ago. So many years I have wasted, Señor Zorro! So many people I could have helped and did not, seeing them only as impediments to my rise to prominence and power. But in memory of my son Alberto, and in honor to you, I will change all of that. I will be going back to Mexico City to do what I can to help people instead of trying to exploit them. I have wealth enough, and if I cannot use it to help people what good is it? I want both of my sons to have reason to be as proud of me as I am of them."

"Yes, it will be a new beginning," said Zorro smiling. "And I believe you will find it much more rewarding than the life you had previously. I know Alberto would be as proud of you as I am."

As Señora Helena smiled warmly up at Zorro, she paused then said, "There is one more thing. I may never be able to see you again after I leave this place. If you would allow it, before I go, I would like to touch the face of my son."

Zorro felt a chill run up his spine. He had been willing only moments ago to let Señora Helena unmask him. But he had thought that behind him as he had led the señora down the road to her change of heart. As he looked at her face, he decided that he would trust her; that if she unmasked him, she would not reveal his identity. He hoped he was right.

Hands by his sides, he nodded his acceptance to her. She stepped forward and raised her right hand and let her fingers lightly touch his mask at the left temple. She let them linger there for a moment. Other than a slight flare of his nostrils, Zorro held perfectly still. Then her fingers moved to trace their way lightly down the side of his face until she withdrew them from his chin. Their eyes met and she let her amusement show, letting Zorro know that she knew of his momentary apprehension.

She said with a lighthearted voice, "You are the most handsome bandido any mother could ever ask for, Señor Zorro."

Zorro grinned, slightly embarrassed.

Señora Helena straightened her jacket and ran her fingers through her hair, patting it back into place. "Yes. Well now. I think it is time for me to return to my house and for you to go . . . wherever it is that you go. I would ask you to come with me to Mexico City, but I know it would be useless." Zorro nodded. "Then I will pray for your safety every day, my son. The conspiracy you spoke of is real for I have seen elements of it myself and I know you will not rest until the danger is past. I know now that you are very important to the fate of California and her people." She embraced Zorro once more and said, _"Vaya con Dios,_ my son." With that she went out the winery door, leaving Zorro standing there alone.

On her way back to the pueblo in the dark, she felt as if she was being watched. But it was a feeling that brought comfort, not fear. Her son was watching out for her. She felt curiously free from a burden that she had not known she had carried all of these years. She found that she was smiling and couldn't stop. She had to laugh when she reached the outskirts of the pueblo, for there was Rudolfo still tied to his horse waiting for someone to release him.

She reached over and grabbed the reins in order to lead the horse on towards the blacksmith's corral. As she looked back behind her, she saw Zorro silhouetted on a hill against the rising moon. He caused his black stallion to rear and paw the air as he waved to her. Then he was gone. That night, when Señora Helena composed herself for sleep, her dreams were kind to her.

As Zorro rode home under the starry sky, he looked up at the heavens. "Mother," he said. "I know you will not mind sharing a little bit of your son with Señora Del Fuego. She had a need that she did not even know that she had when she came to Los Angeles and I did what I could to help her. That is what you taught me to do, Mother; to help people. And now I have a mother to pray for me here on earth and one to pray for me from heaven. It is a great comfort to me, since I must still bear the burden of not being able to tell my father what it is that I do. Gracias, mi Mama." As he finished speaking, a star streaked across the sky. Zorro rode on in the darkness with a full heart.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**NOTE BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: THIS STORY IS NOT MINE!**

 **WRITTEN BY KARLA GREGORY**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

The next day found Señora Helena and her servants packing their things for the trip back to Mexico City. Once, when they were alone, Rudolfo ventured to ask Señora Helena what had happened the night before. Smiling at him with a warmth he had not seen since before Alberto passed on, she told him that, happily, she had lost her wager to Don Luís.

At his perplexed look, she said, "I know you do not understand. Before now, I have never backed away from any challenge I have set for myself. But I have met a man; a man who returned my life to me. To others, he may be a bandido or an outlaw, but he is as dear to me now as my own son. Someday, Rudolfo, I may tell you more, but for now that will have to do. We are going back to Mexico City to begin a new life, one that I should have been living all these years. A life that will mean something when I am gone; a life where people are more important than power or money. A life that Alberto would be proud of his mother for living."

She left him then and went to help with the packing. Rudolfo smiled after his mistress and decided then and there that he no longer held any resentment at the treatment Zorro had given him. Anything was worth it to see Señora Helena restored to her former genteel nature. He went to see what he could do to help with the packing.

Later, Señora Helena met Sergeant Garcia in the plaza and asked him if he knew when the next ship would be sailing for Mexico City. He told her that there would be a ship the next day. Apparently, the ship that would have carried her mail had been delayed for two days. She would have time to make it if she could be in San Pedro by noon tomorrow.

Sergeant Garcia expressed his sorrow that the señora had not found Los Angeles to her liking. "I find that I am homesick for Mexico City after all," she told him.

Don Alejandro came into town on business and was also sad to find that the señora was leaving. He went to her house to pay his respects.

"Don Alejandro, I came to realize that my home is where my heart is and my heart is in Mexico City," she told him. "Someone I met here helped me to see that. I know I can never bring my son back, but there are other sons and daughters that have no mother. I want to see what I can do for them."

Don Alejandro was happy for her. She continued, "Please remember what I said about never losing faith in your son, Don Alejandro. Where there is life there is hope. In leaving here, I only have one regret. I never had the chance to meet Diego."

"My apologies, Señora Helena," he said. "I will express your regret to him the next time I see him. I thank you for your kind words and will keep them in my heart. I wish you a safe journey." He took her hand and kissed it. _"Vaya con Dios,_ Señora."

* * *

 _San Pedro, Alta California_

Just before noon the next day, Señora Helena was sitting in her carriage near the dock while Rudolfo and her servants were seeing to the loading of her baggage and the disposition of her things in her cabin on board ship. Looking idly around, taking in the sights that San Pedro had to offer, she spotted a handsome, young caballero wearing a finely cut light blue suit trimmed in black riding up the street on his palomino. There was something familiar about the young man. He rode straight up to her carriage and dismounted gracefully. Pushing his hat to his back, he walked up beside the carriage.

With a wonderful smile, he bowed and said to her, "Señora Del Fuego. Permit me to introduce myself. I am Diego de la Vega. My father expressed your regret that we never had the chance to meet while you were in Los Angeles. So I decided to come here today to remedy that situation. I hope you will forgive me for not being more attentive to your wishes before now?"

Their eyes met for a long time. Diego's hazel eyes were filled with laughter and affection. Señora Helena's were filled with surprise and delight. She knew this man! Only two nights ago she had stood alone with him in an old winery and called him her son.

She found that she could not speak. Her heart was so full that words would not come because El Zorro had trusted her enough to come here openly and let her see his face. And such a beautiful, handsome face it was. She knew she would never forget it.

All of the other features of Zorro that she had committed to memory were there as well. The height, the broad shoulders, the mustache, the voice; everything. Even the marvelous smile.

Diego took both of her hands together in his and kissed them gently. She looked fondly at him as he did so. She lifted her hand and, in the same manner as she had before, ran her fingers lightly down the side of his face in a caress. Diego smiled and then pressed a little pouch into her hands. He folded her hands over it and she knew that he wanted her to open it later when she was aboard ship.

Diego noticed Rudolfo heading back towards the carriage and stepped back, resuming the demeanor of a young gentleman who had just introduced himself. "I see that it is time for you to embark, Señora Del Fuego. May you have a safe and pleasant journey home."

He helped her out of the carriage and bowed politely to her. When Rudolfo looked at him, Diego gave him a little salute.

Señora Helena walked to the ship and boarded. She lingered by the railing for a moment and saw Diego standing by his horse, watching her. In one motion, he mounted the palomino and then uncharacteristically for Diego de la Vega, he caused the horse to rear, pawing the air, while he waved to her. Then he turned and rode away down the road to Los Angeles.

Later in the privacy of her cabin, Señora Helena opened the little pouch. A rolled up piece of black cloth was in it. As she opened it, she found that it was the mask of Zorro which she held in her hands.

* * *

 _Mexico City - Thirty years later._

 _The funeral procession was one of the finest seen in a long time. It stretched for more than a mile. There were hundreds of men and women from all classes who walked side by side to the final resting place of Señora Helena Del Fuego. Besides the town dignitaries and the priests of the church, the crowd was made up of those people who had been ministered to by Mother Helena as she was fondly called. For the last thirty years of her life, Mother Helena had dedicated her time and fortune to help others, no matter what their station in life. She was well loved and respected by everyone, and some even named their children after her. Her business colleagues of so long ago often spoke of how she had changed from her earlier ruthlessness to become the most benevolent and compassionate person Mexico City had ever known. To a man, they all attributed her transformation to the time when she had made a trip to the dusty little pueblo of Los Angeles to try and capture a local bandido known as Zorro, in order to win a wager. She had lost the wager, but she had gained so much more than she had lost. She became a winner in quite a different way. Of her time in Los Angeles, she would only say that she had seen compassion, and his name was Zorro. And on her mausoleum, beneath her name, is carved a "Z" which can be seen to this day._


End file.
